TEHRAN: When Donald Trump was last in the White House, he pursued a policy of “maximum pressure” against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including punishing sanctions.
Now that he is set to begin another term as US president in January, anxiety is mounting in Tehran that more of the same will follow.
During Trump’s first term, the United States also killed a revered Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general in an air strike on Baghdad airport in Iraq.
Such history between the two long-time adversaries casts a dark shadow over the prospect of relations improving.
“It will be harmful for Iran,” said 37-year-old Bashir Abbaspour, who works at a private company, reflecting widespread concern in Iran as news broke on Wednesday (Nov 6) of Trump’s victory.
His win came with the Middle East in turmoil after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, triggered by the unprecedented attack by Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel.
That war has now spread to Lebanon, where Israel is battling Hezbollah, another ally of Iran which itself has now twice launched unprecedented attacks on Israel, in April and October, using drones and missiles.
Iranians best remember Trump for his campaign of intensified sanctions and Washington’s 2018 withdrawal from a landmark nuclear deal that offered Tehran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear ambitions.
The deal’s collapse took a toll on ordinary Iranians grappling with galloping inflation and a sharp depreciation of the rial against the US dollar.
“The sanctions will increase, and with that, the prices will too. It’s not a good thing for Iran,” Abbaspour said of Trump’s comeback.
Washington officially broke off relations with Tehran a year after the Islamic revolution in 1979, and ties have been frozen ever since.
