Rouhani: US Policies Important, Not Who Becomes President

FILE PHOTO: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a cabinet meeting, in Tehran, Iran, April 1, 2020. Official Presidential Website/Handout via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a cabinet meeting, in Tehran, Iran, April 1, 2020. Official Presidential Website/Handout via REUTERS
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Rouhani: US Policies Important, Not Who Becomes President

FILE PHOTO: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a cabinet meeting, in Tehran, Iran, April 1, 2020. Official Presidential Website/Handout via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a cabinet meeting, in Tehran, Iran, April 1, 2020. Official Presidential Website/Handout via REUTERS

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday the result of the US election was not important for the country's clerical rulers, but that the next president in Washington should respect international treaties and laws.

"For Tehran, the next US administration's policies are important and not who wins the US election," Rouhani said in a televised cabinet meeting.

Democratic challenger Joe Biden has promised to rejoin Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six powers if Iran returns to compliance with it.

President Donald Trump abandoned the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. In retaliation, Iran has gradually reduced compliance with the deal's terms.

"We want to be respected, not subject to sanctions (by the United States). No matter who wins the US election ... For us, policies and principles are important," Rouhani said.

Trump has said he wants to strike a new deal with Tehran that would address Iran's missile program and support for regional proxies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

Iran has ruled out any negotiations unless Washington first returns to the accord.



UK to Use Police Stations as Prisons under Emergency Measure

Police officers are seen in London, Britain, November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police officers are seen in London, Britain, November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
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UK to Use Police Stations as Prisons under Emergency Measure

Police officers are seen in London, Britain, November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police officers are seen in London, Britain, November 27, 2024. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy

Police cells will temporarily be used to hold prisoners in a stop-gap measure to cope with overcrowding in jails, the British government said on Tuesday.

The emergency action, dubbed "Operation Safeguard", allows inmates to be held in police cells when prisons are full, and was previously used from February 2023 to October last year, Reuters said.

The prison population in England and Wales has doubled in the last 30 years, according to official data, leading to overcrowding as new places have failed to keep pace with demand. Justice systems in Scotland and Northern Ireland are run separately.

In a statement to parliament, Shabana Mahmood said the prison system was operating at more than 99% occupancy.

January saw the highest average monthly prison population growth in almost two years, as part of a rising trend in the last three months that "has only just begun to slow", she added.

"Given the recent increase in demand, it is necessary, and prudent, for me to temporarily reactivate Operation Safeguard to better manage the flow of offenders into the prison estate," Mahmood said.

According to the World Prison Brief database, imprisonment rates in England and Wales are higher than in other major European countries, with 141 detainees per 100,000 population, against 120 in France, 117 in Spain, 105 in Italy and 68 in Germany.