Imran Khan expresses regret over US attitude towards Iran

Former prime minister Imran Khan has voiced disappointment over US stance towards Iran and stated that the Iranian people should gain from the Iran nuclear pact.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has welcomed a fresh round of negotiations for the restoration of the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action/Iranian nuclear deal].

Imran Khan, while talking to Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), said the Iran nuclear agreement being resumed would be beneficial for the region and the world.

Imran Khan stated that Pakistan should adopt a self-sufficient foreign policy, adding that his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, supported such a course of action because “we want to see an independent free Pakistani nation which cannot be controlled by any country in the world, including the United States”.

Imran Khan alleged that foreign governments, particularly the US, were meddling in Pakistan’s domestic affairs. He said, “Look how the US pursued a program of regime change in Iran and via a conspiracy deposed an elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh.”

He continued by saying that Pakistan wants to cooperate with the US and maintain close links with other nations in the area, including China, Iran, and Russia.

He criticized previous administrations of Pakistan for choosing to rely on the West, claiming that in the past, foreign powers had exploited Pakistan as a weapon, but that the people of Pakistan had never embraced this strategy and would not do so in the future.

The former prime minister noted that the US strategy against Iran was solely intended to appease the unjust Israeli state, which usurps the legitimate and legal rights of the Palestinian people. Instead of assisting the unlawful state, he recommended the US should engage Iran.

He said that the idea of establishing cooperative border markets with Iran is a fundamental way to help reduce poverty along the borders of the two nations.

Imran Khan stressed that trading along shared borders ensured peace and stability and created new employment possibilities for citizens of both Pakistan’s and Iran’s neighbouring regions.