TEHRAN
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the 2015 Iran nuclear deal consisted of a set of unilateral commitments.
The Iran nuclear accord, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed in 2015 between Iran and Russia, China, France, the U.K. and the U.S. plus Germany.
"The nuclear agreement didn't provide any party with a remarkable gain. It consists of a set of unilateral commitments, nor were the principles [of the agreement] negotiated right," Ahmadinejad told Anadolu Agency in an exclusive interview.
Ahmadinejad said if a matter was addressed on a wrong basis, the outcome would not be the desired one.
"If it were me, I would not have signed the nuclear agreement."
Negotiations on the nuclear deal and renegotiating with the U.S. should only be made on the basis of justice, mutual respect and recognition of each other's official law, Ahmadinejad said.
He added that a unilateral agreement would fail in a long term, even if it could be implemented for a while.
Rejecting the claims that the nuclear treaty prevents the global alliance against Iran, Ahmadinejad said he did not see any problems in potential negotiations with any party, including the Washington administration, but "a negotiation with an indeterminate purpose will be of no use."
'US, Iran may have friendly relations'
Iran’s former president called on the U.S. President Donald Trump and the Tehran administration to support negotiations with a view to reject the war and the establish a friendship.
Stressing his stance opposing all forms of war, Ahmadinejad said the opportunity for cooperation is broader than enmity.
"The U.S. and Iran may have friendly relations. If we do a poll or referendum, there is no doubt that people will choose peace and justice. Some 7.5 billion people in the world want it," he said.
A negotiation with the Washington administration under pressure is not possible, said Ahmadinejad, "but negotiations with the U.S. is not a taboo."
"Negotiations were held with the U.S. on the Algerian Agreement and on the issues relating to Afghanistan and Iraq. There was not such a thing like 'no negotiations with the U.S.’ in the past," he said.
Ahmadinejad said that the U.S. policy on Iran was putting pressure on the Iranian people and directing this pressure to the regime. "But this has not yielded any results."
"Let's say you are against the policy of the Iranian regime. So, how can you dare to impose sanctions on the people and impose pressure on them?" Ahmadinejad questioned.
He went on saying: "This shows that those steering the politics in the U.S. has problems with the Iranian people themselves, not the political authorities of the country."
Urging the U.S. to formally recognize the law of a country provided that the country takes side with the world peace, Ahmadinejad said "the idea of establishing hegemony over others is evil."
"Trying to establish authority over someone else is a diabolical mindset, whoever it is. This may also be a religious figure," he said.
"The U.S. should abandon repressions, unilateral policies and sanctions and return to fair negotiations. I believe that there is a broader ground for cooperation than hostility. The U.S. stood against us in the nationalization of the oil and in the revolution and did not benefit from it," Ahmadinejad said.
'Issues cannot be solved with guns'
Ahmadinejad expressed his support for the abolition of weapons and the solution of all problems through dialogue.
"If these were issues to be solved with guns, they would have been solved by now," he said.
The weapon factories in the world would go bankrupt without wars, said the former Iranian leader, calling it “misdeed” to make money out of weapons.
"It's a bad thing if someone earns livelihood through guns. Increase the human welfare by engaging in agriculture, industry, automotive, white appliances and other works. Why do you want to make money by killing people?" he said.
Ahmadinejad said the U.S. claims that Iran wants its own nuclear weapon while the first owns 5,600 atomic bombs with fifth-generation advanced technology.
"The U.S. says 'Iran should prove that it doesn't want to produce an atomic bomb'. How can we prove something that doesn't exist?" Ahmadinejad said and added that the U.S. was not afraid of the atomic bomb.
"We have to talk honestly with the world [countries]. The U.S. has an atomic bomb and is the only state having used it. Is it us [Iran] who poses a danger and should be punished for that?" he said.
Ahmadinejad said that the U.S. economy did not benefit from the Iranian sanctions and they gave it a brief relief for a short time. "The U.S. economy will deteriorate in the long run."
The Persian Gulf has grounds for conflicts
Iran’s former president said that Trump has to well calculate the costs and expenses and make sure to consider the long term interests of his country.
“Establishing peace is harder than making war,” he stressed, adding that the Persian Gulf has now grounds for conflicts.
He urged both the U.S. and the Gulf countries to be careful and added that any fire in the region will spread all over the world.
Collaboration with Turkey, neighbors'
Highlighting the importance of friendly relations with neighbors, Ahmadinejad said common cultural and historical ties present many opportunities between the nations.
"We should collaborate and act in harmony with Turkey and other neighbors," he said, adding that Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Persian Gulf states are all dependent on each other for development.
"The Turkey-Iran relations have always been friendly but a great amount of effort is made to push them into confrontation,” he said.
He said that no neighbors in the region can benefit from conflicts "except for those who act in hostility against all the nations in the region".
Underlining that the countries of the region have access to all of the waterways in the world, he added that the world’s largest energy resources and the global intersection points are also located in the region.
'No winners in Syria so far'
Ahmadinejad said that sides of the Syrian conflict have more in common than they have differences.
"There is no winning party in Syria so far. We have to help the Syrian people achieve their demands, anything else would be harmful," he said.
Ahmadinejad stressed that each nation should determine their destiny adding that everyone should conform to this principle. "If this principle is undermined there will be an opportunity for other far parties to step in and intervene in the region."
Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria have been devastated, he said, adding that the U.S. wants to destroy Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Qatar by launching a new war.
"They first sell weapons for their destruction and get paid for their reconstruction," Ahmadinejad said.
"To prevent this, Iran and Saudi Arabia must be pioneers. We must sit side by side without thinking that one side won because the other has stepped back," he said. "We must be realistic and think about our peoples. We have to consider long-term friendships and then turn this into a friendship with the world."
Improving economic structure in Iran
Iran has a rare wealth in terms of material and natural resources, he said, adding that sanctions on Tehran could have not been effective if this wealth was utilized.
"An opportunity should be given for economic reform and development. We must reform the economy. The way to do this is, of course, to allocate this wealth for the people's utilization. We must free the economy from the blockade to let the people rebuild it," he said.
"The economy should be reformed and the people should be more active. If the opportunity is given to the people, the economy will do better quickly. In the last years, we have turned from an importer country regarding some products to an exporter country."
Nuclear energy assurance for economic development
Commenting on claims that Iran does not produce nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, the former Iranian president said: "Nuclear energy is an assurance for people's development because it has advanced science and technology."
"The advanced level of all areas in science can be achieved with [nuclear technology]. If this develops other branches of science and industry will grow with it. If you leave it aside, you will not be able to advance in other areas of science," he said.
Asked whether he will return to politics in the country's elections in 2021, he answered: "No, we are subject to the people's opinion."
Regarding the attention he drew in Turkey, Ahmadinejad said: "I love Turkey. This could be the reason for the interest. The people of Turkey are civilized and cultured and had an impact on civilization in the world and are still effective today as well. They are sincere and friendly people," he added.
