Iran eyes ties under Biden despite rage at scientist's killing

Iranian officials say they hope to ease tensions with the US once Joe Biden takes over as president next year, even as accusations swirl that the US and Israel were behind the killing on Friday of a top Iranian nuclear physicist.

"We don't want to start a friendship, but we want to reduce unnecessary tension and enmity," said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a videotaped interview aired on Monday on the news portal Entekhab.

Strengthening ties to Washington after Biden takes office in January is in the interest of Iran and its people, said Zarif. He warned against attempts to turn the discussion into a domestic political issue.

Zarif said he knows Biden from the president-elect's many years as a US senator, because Zarif was Iranian ambassador to the UN from 2002-07.

"Biden has been involved in US foreign policy since the 1970s and is better informed about it than [incumbent US President] Trump," said Zarif.

He said there would continue to be misunderstandings and differences between the countries once the new administration takes over, but said there would be fewer than Iran has experienced under Trump.

Zarif and Iranian President Hassan Rowhani say they hope that Biden will return the US to the 2015 international deal whereby Iran agreed to limits its nuclear programmes in exchange for a lifting of sanctions. Trump pulled the US out of the deal in 2018 and increased sanctions.

Those prompted an economic crisis in Iran that has only been exacerbated by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic this year. Iran is one of the countries worst affected by the disease. Its currency, the rial, has lost half its value amid the problems.

But Friday's assassination of rocket scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh has raised fears of further ill will between Washington and Tehran. He was buried on Monday in a ceremony broadcast by state TV. Only close family members could attend due to pandemic guidelines.