By Erisa Nuku
Staff Writer
On September 27th, Secretary of State John Kerry had a meeting with the Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif. This has been the highest-level diplomatic exchange between Iran and the United States in the past thirty years. It was followed by a historic phone call between President Barack Obama and Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani.
The 1979 overthrow of the U.S.-backed leader Mohammed Reza Pahlevi and his replacement with the anti-American Ayatollah Khomeini severed the diplomatic relations between the two countries. In 1980, the U.S. completely broke off its diplomatic ties with the Islamic Republic after U.S. embassy staff members in Iran were taken hostage for 444 days.
The UN Security Council and many western governments have imposed economic sanctions on the country due to suspicions that its uranium enrichment program is being used to produce nuclear weapons. Iran has violated human rights numerous times, and it is also suspected of being a hub of terrorism with the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah believed to be supported by the Iranian government. The sanctions set in place by Western countries have not only hurt the oil-dominated Iranian economy by sharply decreasing oil exports but have also had grave humanitarian effects by hampering the import of life-saving drugs and medications.
In August 2013, Hassan Rouhani ascended to the presidency of Iran. Rouhani, a Muslim cleric educated in Scotland, promised to bring change in Iran by prioritizing the run-down economy over Iran’s nuclear program and improving relations with the Western world. Unlike his predecessors, Rouhani also believes in gender equality. Thus, he is considered to be a politically moderate leader.
His visit to New York during the United Nations’ General Assembly was seen as a big step forward in Iran’s relations with the United States. On October 16th and 17th, the Iranian delegation, led by foreign minister Zarif, met up with the P5+1 (5 permanent members of UN Security Council + Germany) in Geneva to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. Unlike before, the talks were held in English, with Zarif giving a power point presentation entitled “Closing an unnecessary crisis: Opening new horizons”. The presentation, which has been kept confidential, is believed to contain Iran’s proposals on limiting its nuclear program as an exchange for lifted sanctions from the West.
The High Representative for EU Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton who is leading the P5+1 bloc stated: “We talked in much greater detail than we’ve done before”. Both Ashton and Zarif agreed that the talks had been “substantive and forward-looking”. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich also agreed, stating that: “In our view, although the talks were very tough, they were quite, quite promising”.
Nevertheless, not all countries are so positive about the negotiations. Israel, who considers Iran’s nuclear program to be an imminent threat, released a statement, which calls for the West not to lift its sanctions. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the West, saying it would be “a historic mistake” to ease sanctions now.
It is very difficult to evaluate the goals of the new Iranian government. On one hand, one could say that the sanctions have proved successful, as they have forced the Iranians to the negotiating table with the chance of limiting its nuclear program in return for an easing of economic sanctions. The Islamic Republic may also want to improve its economic standing in the region and in the world. On the other hand, skeptics say it could also be trying to buy time in order to further develop its nuclear capabilities, all the while benefiting from eased sanctions.
Although Iran claims that it is only developing peaceful nuclear energy, at this point the West cannot verify this claim. It is still uncertain whether Iran will allow for inspections of its nuclear program. Furthermore, it is important to note that the most important political figure in Iran is not President Rouhani but the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeini. Therefore, although Rouhani’s flexibility should be considered a positive signal, ultimately it comes down to Khomeini making all the important decisions. Nevertheless, Iran should be taken seriously.
It is currently unclear whether the West will only require Iran to restrict its nuclear program or also ask for cooperation in Syria and on the matter of Hezbollah. However, there must be some flexibility from both sides in order to come to an agreement. The question that remains unanswered is: How much of its nuclear program is Iran willing to compromise in exchange for lifted sanctions? Only time will be able to tell what the true intentions of the new Iranian government are.
Erisa Nuku, class of 2015, is a Law and Politics major from Tirana, Albania.
