Iran tells Kim Jong-un not to trust Trump but some people are more upbeat about the deal
An Iranian government spokesman warns that Washington could pull out of any deal as it did with the Iranian nuclear agreement. State TV expresses scepticism and doubts. Online some people are more positive, praising the two leaders for their "courage". Others note that nuclear bombs do not fill the stomachs of the people.
Tehran (AsiaNews) – The summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has had a wide-ranging echo in Iran, a country targeted by the White House after the cancellation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the introduction of the toughest sanctions in history against Teheran.
The meeting has had different outcomes and produced various comments. On the one hand, the government of the Islamic Republic has warned Kim Jong-un not to trust the United States; on the other, many Iranian expressed appreciations for the step undertaken.
Speaking about last Tuesday’s meeting in Singapore on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, Iranian government spokesman Mohammad Bagher Nobakht noted that Washington’s withdrawal from the JCPOA is something that Trump can do again with the agreement reached with Kim Jong-un.
Iranian state TV also expressed scepticism about the agreement. Anchor Elmira Sharifi wonders how can anyone trust Trump when he “withdraws his signature all the time”?
The reference is to the fact whilst flying for talks with Kim on Sunday, Trump rejected an agreement signed by the leaders of the G7 countries at their summit in Canada.
Ordinary Iranians too have expressed their views, often different and contrasting, on social media and the Internet. Some praised the two leaders, in particular the "courage" shown by Kim in meeting with Trump and "abandon" the North Korean nuclear programme.
One user wrote that Kim Jong-un “is smart and understands that he cannot fill the empty belly of his people with uranium and nuclear bombs.”
Another one added: “Kim realized that he needs to stop threatening other countries for the sake of his people, but the Iranian leader has not.”
The reference here is the decision of Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to maintain a very different attitude than Pyongyang’s latest decision to give up its nuclear programme in exchange for money and investments.
Others point out that today North Korea is no longer considered a rogue state by Washington, which reserves to the Islamic Republic the sad record of "the most evil and hated dictatorship in the world".
Some prefer instead to use the weapon of irony and sarcasm. One of them, Amir, posted a photoshopped picture of the North Korean leader showing his face replaced with that of Iranian Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri, writing “I wish we had also a ‘Jong Jangir’ that we could send to [the] U.S. for negotiations.”
Finally, analysts and experts note the different treatment the White House gave North Korea compared to Iran.
Pyongyang represents a real atomic threat and has, unlike Tehran, nuclear weapons and has never opened its doors to inspectors.
According to some, Trump simply cannot bear to back anything initiated by his predecessor Barack Obama.
Others believe that Washington decided that Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are more important to the United States and none of them are interested in a diplomatic deal with Iran.
.png)
