Al Monitor: "Will Washington be able to develop ties with Tehran"

The analytical publication Forbes writes about the results of the meeting of the NATO-Russia Council. Representatives of Russia and NATO met in Brussels for the first time in nearly two years. However, the talks did not produce any visible results. This is not surprising, as the US strongly emphasizes that the relations between the two countries are going through a new cold war phase. The meeting, which lasted longer than had been planned, did not change the situation, although the very existence of open channels for political dialogue encourages the international community.

In fact, the issue of relations between Russia and the West cannot be resolved at a meeting with the representatives of NATO. Only political decisions in both capitals can lead to improvements in their relations. The fact that the confrontation has arisen primarily due to the crisis in Ukraine is absurd. None of the NATO allies has given commitments to Kiev, simply due to the fact that Ukraine is not a member of the North-Atlantic alliance. In turn, this makes the confrontation between the countries senseless.

The United States goes too far with its strong anti-Russian propaganda, trying to justify its own hegemonic plans as due to aggression on the Kremlin’s part. US military expenses are unmatched in the world, and it is at least groundless to say that Russia is the initiator of a new spiral of the Cold War. Unfortunately, the NATO officials did not change their approach to their foreign policy at the meeting in Brussels. The anti-Russian sanctions are still in force, but without great success: the economy of Moscow has not collapsed. Moreover, such actions by the West have led to a strengthening of the relations between Russia and China, which, in turn, is detrimental to the United States.

The Western allies need to restore relations with Moscow to get out of the current impasse. Some diplomatic method must be found, which will allow the opponents to reach an agreement that satisfies the interests of both sides. The fact that the representatives of Russia and NATO met, of course, is of a positive character. But the dialogue should be continued, as it is essential in the current geopolitical situation.

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The international publication AlMonitor writes about whether Iran and the US will be able to maintain their relationship after Obama leaves. Many US officials and independent experts are wondering whether Washington will be able to develop the existing ties with Tehran after a change of the US presidential administration.

The diplomatic channels established between the United States and Iran over the past few years of intense negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program have become unprecedented in the history of the relations between the two countries. However, despite the frequency of the meetings of the top officials of both countries, formal US-Iran relations, which were severed in 1979 after the Islamic revolution in Iran, have never been restored. Moreover, normalization of contacts is not realistic in the short term.

Obama has shown he is ready to cooperate with Iran, if it is necessary, but tensions between the two countries are still present. The links established as a result of the deal on the Iranian nuclear program have had a significant effect, but there are several factors influencing further rapprochement of the countries. There is a possibility that the next presidential administration will not support the existing relations with Iran and will not bring them to a qualitatively new level. The only existing basis of the US-Iranian relations is the agreement on the nuclear program, and cooperation can be continued only if both sides will take the appropriate political decisions.