NEW YORK — A year ago, Iran seemed on the verge of a new relationship with the United States and the world.

In his address to the United Nations last fall, President Hassan Rouhani said the nuclear deal just signed, lifting sanctions and setting limits on Iran’s nuclear program, was a foundation for change.

“We were not solely seeking a nuclear deal,” he said. “We want to suggest a new and constructive way to re-create the international order.”

Flash forward a year, and Rouhani’s optimism has been replaced by disappointment and finger-pointing.

In his U.N. speech and a wide-ranging news conference this week, Rouhani bitterly accused the United States of failing to live up to its obligations under the nuclear deal. In the eight months since the deal was implemented, he said, Washington had delayed licenses for business transactions and blocked Iran’s access to banks.

 

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