It is too early to speak about an improvement in Iranian-Western relations

By Vestnik Kavkaza

The Iranian authorities intend to settle the nuclear problem, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated. He stressed that Tehran has an integral right to the peaceful atom within the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Simultaneously, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he wasn’t against talks with Iran, but insisted on a complete cancelation of its nuclear program. Netanyahu skeptically views the recent peaceful initiative of the Iranian leadership and mentioned restriction of civil freedoms in Iran. Russian experts discuss consequences of the Iranian peaceful initiatives.

“I recently visited Iran. I got the impression that not only the result of the elections, but also the result of the whole turn of public opinion can be called favorable for a settlement of the Iranian issue and the Iranian crisis,” said Andrey Baklanov, Advisor to the Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council. “The majority of the people in the country strive for a settlement of relations with the West and more intensive cooperation with their neighbours. It is a difficult task, because the country has been living in a semi-isolated situation for a long time. But today positive processes are going on. I think a subjective factor is very important – that very experienced politicians came to office, who are able to do a lot. For example, the foreign minister, Zarif. I think he is a wonderful expert, including in the sphere of regional security; he is respectful in diplomatic circles. I think the presence of such managers and experts at the top level in the country will simplify the return of Iran to full communication with its neighbours and Western countries, the external circle.”

Boris Dolgov, expert of the Institute of Oriental Sciences of the RAS, thinks it is important to define what the American policy toward Iran and the Middle East is. “The policy is based on the fact that Israel is a strategic partner of America, and Israel’s security is the main core of the policy. The main goal of the policy is security of Israel. We have heard that in the General Assembly, Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Rouhani is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and if no foreign help is provided, Israel will stand up for its own interests and deal with Iran, as has been said in the Israeli mass media. I remind you that it is a well-known phenomenon in the U.S. – the pro-Israeli lobby. The lobby is working and will try to prevent an improvement in relations,” said Dolgov.

According to him, “relations between Iran and Israel, the conflict, the contradiction, are the main question, the key question of relations between Iran and the whole West, because the U.S.A. and Israel is a bond. Here we can remember a well-known phrase about a dog and its tail and what wags what – a dog wags the tail or the tail wags the dog. However, it is not so. I think it is too early to speak about a crucial improvement of relations between the U.S. and Iran, the West and Iran in the near future. I believe the U.S. won’t ever sacrifice their relations with Israel, because Israel is its main ally, a part of the U.S.-Israeli bond. So I think Netanyahu’s words mean that Israel is not ready to improve relations. And I think this is the key issue. Improvement of relations between Israel and Iran is the key issue. If things got moving, it would be a breakthrough. If relations between Israel and Iran were improved, it would solve many problems. There are many problems. Iran doesn’t want to recognize Israel as a state. Iran supports establishing a Palestinian state in the borders of 1967, and this is unacceptable for Israel, as these borders won’t provide the security of Israel; it must be admitted. A compromise is needed. The process is going on, but it is far from finished. There are problems with Jerusalem, with refugees, with establishing a Palestinian state, the construction of settlements on Palestinian territory. If the complex of problems is settled, it will be right. But the point is in relations between Iran and Israel. If this question is settled somehow, relations between Iran and the U.S. will be improved.”