The next American administration will "surrender to the Iranian nation," according to Hassan Rouhani, the Islamic Republic's president.
Rouhani, in remarks Thursday about the contested American presidential election, said that no matter who comes out ahead when the votes are counted in several close states, the new U.S. president will have "no choice but to surrender to the law, regulations, and pressure of public opinions and to the patience and resistance of this great nation."
Rouhani's comments come as the world watches the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Adversarial regimes such as Iran, Russia, and China—which waged cyber operations to influence the election and slant its outcome—appear to be betting on former vice president Joe Biden to emerge victorious. Iranian leaders have welcomed Biden's comments to reenter the nuclear deal, saying that he will be forced to provide Iran with cash windfalls to achieve this goal.
Rouhani also blasted President Donald Trump, accusing the administration's "maximum pressure" sanctions campaign of crippling the regime as it continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
"During this period, there was a person in the White House who brutally intensified sanctions and war, even during the coronavirus era," Rouhani was quoted as saying in the country's state-controlled press.
Meanwhile, Iran continues to build advanced weapons capable of striking Israel and other regional nations.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps unveiled new ballistic missile launchers that it says are capable of firing automated missiles. These long-range systems have been an international source of concern due to the great distances they can travel. While Trump has moved to restrict Iran's access to this type of weaponry, a Biden presidency could see restrictions on these missiles lifted, as the Obama administration did when it negotiated the nuclear accord.