IRNA - Dennis John Kucinich, former US Congressman believes Iran and US cooperation could resolve regional conflicts, stressing that the two countries should put their differences aside.


In an interview with IRNA in London and giving his assessment on the current US foreign policy towards Iran under Trump administration, Kuchinin said , 'I think it is very important for the Trump administration to understand the significance of the agreement which the international community came to with Iran over the nuclear issue. That was a major step; I would hope that Trump administration will respect the role that US played and crafted the agreement and seek not to withdraw from it. It is very important for the US to stay engaged with Iran. It is also important for the US to work with Iran to bring an end to regional conflicts. So, instead of the emphasis being made on the differences that may exist between the US and Iran, let's look at where we can work together to create peace. Syria is such a place; we must be careful not to escalate the situation in Syria and to take an understanding from Iran�s position to stop extremism and work to do the same. So, I am hopeful that my government would do that.'

On US Congress position towards Iran, the former Congressman said , 'It's been the same as it's been even before the nuclear agreement. There are people who have a reflex of opposition and there are others who understand that Iran is a major player on the world stage and must be respected. It has a very deep cultural tradition and has put it in the forefront of literature, art and science and technology. There needs to be a greater understanding in America of the contributions of the Persian culture to the world, and the tremendous role that the government has in synergizing the growth of art and technology, science and literature. In America, we need to find a way to put aside our differences. We need a better understanding of the history of the US because we, in 1953 made an effort to overthrow the Iranian government and we need to understand that has had consequences and we need to understand that the differences that arose during the revolution are differences that are easily resolved. We have moved on; Iran has moved on, so let's move on.'

To a question whether America still does not recognize the Islamic revolution, Kuchinin said,' There maybe people who don�t want to recognize the revolution but it did happen. So, every country has a right to profess its own history in a way they see fit. If we declare that it did not exist, that is without historical precedent. It did happen and we need to understand and respect the will of the people in Iran and we also need to understand the mistakes that we have made in helping to catalyze some of the opinions that exist today. US is a great country; Iran is a great country; we should find a way to become friends.'

On his opinion about Arab countries accusation against Iran of meddling in the Middle East and Donald Trump also giving in to this rhetoric, he said, 'I think Iran has a great capacity to be a force to peace. I do not see Iran in a way that the Saudi government sees Iran. The Saudi government makes statements out of fear. Iran has never gone out of its way to attack anyone; Saudis need to remember that they'd better try to find a way to manage and moderate the conflicts which exist in their own country without repression and not to seek to foment conflicts in other places by financing them because eventually the conflicts the Saudi government helped to fund will come home to Saudi Arabia. We must create a world where the US, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and other countries learn to coexist peacefully in mutual respect. We may have our own differences, but we inhabit the same fragile planet and need to remember we are all human beings and got to find a way to respect our rights to determining our own future.'