The Republican hopefuls for the White House in 2016 may be divided on how to fix America’s problems, but it seems there is one thing almost all of them can agree on — bashing Iran.
Donald Trump, the frontrunner, recently called Iran a “terrorist state.” His rival Marco Rubio said he would re-impose sanctions on Iran on day one if he becomes president. And if she wins, Carly Fiorina has this message for the Ayatollah: “I don’t care what your deal was. Here’s the new deal.”
All three say they’ll cancel or change the nuclear agreement recently signed between Iran and world powers — and political leaders in Tehran have taken notice, according to analyst Emad Abshenass.
“If you live in Iran you should be afraid,” Abshenass told CNN. “What’s going to happen? Is there a plan to attack Iran? Are they planning to attack Iran? What will happen to us?”
Although most Iranians follow international politics closely, few know the names of the Republicans vowing for the GOP nomination. But many have heard about the rhetoric coming from the candidates, and it’s causing anger and frustration among some of the people we met in downtown Tehran.
“When they speak about the nuclear deal, they don’t think about the benefit for the American people,” one man told us. “They just think about their own benefit. So I think that the Republicans have shown that for their benefit they will do anything.”
Another man called for more moderate language from the candidates.
“I think right now we should all be talking to one another and negotiating,” he said. “We have a big chance to improve relations now.”
At the same time, the man chalked the strong words emanating from the candidates up as little more than campaign bravado.
“As far as I know this is the party of George Bush and Ronald Reagan,” he said. “They were much stronger than these people and they could not touch us. So these [new] guys can’t do anything.”
When Iranians talk about the Republican Party, one name keeps coming up: George W. Bush. His brother Jeb Bush, who is now running for the Republican nomination, has also blasted the nuclear agreement, recently announcing “This isn’t diplomacy — it is appeasement.”
The Kayhan newspaper is the voice of Iran’s hardliners. Its president, Hossein Shariatmadari, is officially a representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
When asked about the tough talk coming from the campaign trail, Shariatmadari picked on the former Florida governor.
“Jeb Bush’s talk is bigger than his mouth — he should consider if he really wants to continue the failed policies of his brother,” Shariatmadari said. “We don’t care what the Republicans say — it’s a big step from talking to taking action.”
It is too early in the presidential race for most Iranians to get too concerned about the statements coming from Republican hopefuls, but as the campaign goes on, more will be paying attention.
And everybody is eager to see who the next U.S. president might be — and what, if anything, that could mean for their futures.