The outcome of the US election is irrelevant to Tehran, which will continue its inclusive approach in international relations, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday.
"It does not matter to us who won the US election because our country and system rely on our internal strength and a proud, great nation," Pezeshkian said in his first response to Donald Trump's victory in the US election.
He emphasized that his government’s priority is strengthening ties with Islamic and neighboring countries, insisted that his administration would not adopt a “closed or limited approach” toward expanding relations with other nations.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry, on the other hand, responded cautiously on Thursday to US President-Elect Donald Trump’s victory, reflecting on past US policies and stressing that Tehran would judge the new administration by its actions.
As Trump prepares to return to the White House as the 47th president, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry expressed Tehran’s cautious stance, saying, “We have had very bitter experiences with the past policies and approaches of various US administrations.”
In a statement, ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the actions of the US government will be the ultimate benchmark for Iran. "What matters to Iran and serves as a criterion for evaluation is the performance of the US government," he added.
Trump’s victory, confirmed with 292 electoral votes, marks his return to the presidency after a four-year hiatus, a win that could bring stricter enforcement of sanctions on Iran, initially imposed after his first administration withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal. During his previous term, Trump’s maximum pressure policy aimed to cripple Iran’s oil revenue, escalating economic strain on Tehran.
Baghaei went on to say that the US election is solely a decision by the American people, adding, “Now, the American people have made their choice.” He suggested that elections offer a chance for the US to reconsider its approach toward Iran, cautioning that Iran remains attentive to actions, not promises.
The reaction from Tehran was followed by a belligerent statement from a hardline member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, who issued a warning to Trump, calling on the US to withdraw its military forces from the Middle East.
"We tell Trump, the gambler and killer, to gather CENTCOM’s dogs from West Asia before it’s too late and focus on his own deep internal crises," said Mojtaba Zarei, referring to the US Central Command’s presence in the region.
Trump's return to office has reignited speculation over tougher US policies on Iran next year. The Biden administration had somewhat softened Trump’s “maximum pressure” approach, aiming for a diplomatic solution. This approach saw little progress until October 2023, when Iran’s ally Hamas launched an attack on Israel, leading to over a year of conflict in the region.
The mysterious young woman was said to have resorted to the unheard of action, in a strictly controlled Muslim country, after she was harassed by university security for not wearing proper hijab.
International human rights lawyer Gissou Nia said the female university student is another example in a long list of cases where women’s bodies are being policed.
Nia, who led a campaign to have Iran removed from the UN Commission on the Status of Women after the in-custody death of Mahsa Jina Amini in 2022, said the discussions around Iran are finally shifting from geopolitics to human rights.
“As the discussion around the Islamic Republic becomes more focused on what their actions are in Israel, in Lebanon... and becomes more about geopolitics...we haven't seen as much in the global media that what was being sought for during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement is still an ongoing process,” said Nia an interview with Iran International.
A video surfaced online Saturday showing the woman in her underwear sitting on steps, then walking around the campus grounds at the Islamic Azad University in Tehran. The video, which lasted close to 15 minutes, later showed her being forcibly detained by authorities in a car.
Some witnesses said she stripped down after an altercation with Iranian authorities over the compulsory hijab.
According to an Iranian minister she is now undergoing treatment for mental health issues. This is not the first time the Islamic government tries to pin mental illness on dissidents and protesters.
"Investigations revealed that she is experiencing family and psychological challenges and is currently receiving treatment with her family’s support," science minister Hossein Simaei Sarraf said on Wednesday.
“They're famous for insinuating that anyone who dissents with their repressive rules is crazy. The reality is that women in Iran have a long history of resistance against their misogynistic rules,” human rights activist Nazanin Afshin-Jam told Iran International news.
What Afshin-Jam pointed out is common practice in Iran. For example, during the height of the Masha Amini protests, Iranian authorities said protestor, Nika Shahkarami, who became famous for standing on top of an overturned garbage bin, waving her headscarf, committed suicide. A CNN investigation uncovered dozens of videos and eyewitness accounts that she was chased and detained by Iranian security forces that night.
The details surrounding what led up to the university student’s incident are scarce. On social media people are calling her Ahou Daryaei and people inside Iran are writing her name on bathroom mirrors across universities and people around the world have created murals out of her image.
Amnesty International is demanding her release, saying she was “violently arrested” after protesting Iran’s Islamic dress code.
“It is Ahoo Daryaei’s Rosa Parks moment,” said Afshin-Jam about the women who sparked another flame in the embers of Iran’s Women, Life, Freedom movement that haven’t burned out.
“Because the fight goes on,” said Nia.