The closure of Iran's nuclear dossier and lifting of international sanctions imposed against Iran, in fact, may lead to a new "cold" conflict between Russia and the West for the right to develop economic cooperation with Iran, Western experts told Vestnik Kavkaza on the sidelines of the official opening of the annual ‘Valdai’ meeting in Sochi.
The Chair of the Government Department at Harvard University, Timothy Colton, described it as "a competition between Moscow and Washington," adding that the Russian Federation possesses an advantage, because many states in the region do not want rapprochement between Iran and the United States. "It is not clear how far this can go, because there are players concerned about the US-Iranian contacts in the Middle East. At the same time, Russia has an advantage, because Moscow has much closer relations with Tehran in connection with the Syrian issue," he said.
Colton noted that even their allies in the region will play against Iran's rapprochement with the US. "The former conflict is losing its relevance today, and Iran, which was in isolation for too long, will be looking for any opportunities for development. So now we are witnessing a situation where such Middle Eastern countries as Israel and the monarchies of the Persian Gulf are concerned because the relations between the United States and Iran may became too close," the Chair of the Government Department at Harvard University noted.
The well-known British diplomat, a former ambassador of the UK to Russia, a former head of the Department of the UK Foreign Ministry for UN Contacts, Sir Tony Brenton, pointed to another fact, which will allow Russia to develop contacts with Iran better than the West. "Of course, the outcome of very intensive negotiations was very satisfactory. Speaking as an ex-diplomat, it’s a triumph for diplomacy, which is better than fighting Iran. But the contract still has to be implemented, there is a timeframe for its implementation, so the moment will come and we will move toward lifting sanctions," Brenton warned.
He added that the West is doing everything possible to make sure "that progress is maintained toward lifting sanctions and towards establishing more normal relations with Iran".
The scientific director of the German-Russian Forum, Alexander Rahr, called on Russia and the West to consider the results of the closure of the Iranian nuclear issue not as a field for competition, but as a model of collaboration in the Middle East. "The Iranian problem is being solved in a positive way, it will be possible to reach mutual cooperation and trust. Iran, as a very important subject of the global international community, will be built into the system rather quickly. It will return a big role in the stabilization of the Middle East with Russia’s help. There were no signs of this even couple of months ago," Rahr noted.
You need to understand all this and look at it with optimism. Because that's how it was managed with Iran, this agreement brings us to the right path in Syria. Then, working together with Russia, Europe, America, maybe China, of course, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt and Turkey, we will be able to save the Middle East from total chaos," the scientific director of the German-Russian Forum urged.
