Take up the new opportunity to talk to Iran

With the United States and Iran backing different horses in the bloody Syrian civil war, it’s hard to imagine how these two nations – at each other’s throats for the past three decades – can end their bickering without waiting for Syria’s conflict to end.

However, Hassan Rowhani’s victory in Iran’s presidential election last week has provided everyone an opportunity to rethink their hostile bilateral ties. If relations are restored to normalcy, there might be a breath of fresh air for the international community.

Among the items on the agenda is, of course, Iran’s alleged nuclear-weapons programme, which many nations, particularly Iran’s Arab neighbours, would like to see terminated once and for all.

But when it comes to Iran, nothing is ever clear-cut, especially with the mullahs running the show from behind the scenes and making the most important decisions in both domestic and foreign policies. Even with a new president, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, remains the foremost figure when one speaks of the ultimate power in the country. 

But the fact that Khamenei permitted a reform-minded cleric to stand for election says a great deal. Rowhani was not the mullahs’ first choice. There were other reform-minded clerics who ran in the election. Nevertheless, the fact that the candidates from this camp agreed to “retreat” suggests that the reformers in Iran are united. They seem to have learned a lesson from the 2009 election, when another of their number was robbed of victory.

Rowhani won more than 50 per cent of the vote. He was deemed the most moderate among the six candidates. But as a cleric from a deeply conservative establishment, Rowhani knows he can only go so far and push so hard. He is said to be pragmatic. And judging from his campaign promises, the Iranian people might have good reason to hope for a better tomorrow. 

Rowhani has pledged to end Iran’s differences with the West over the nuclear issue, which might lead to an end to the economic sanctions imposed upon the country. This point alone appeared to hit the right spot for voters, who are fed up with their battered economy, as well as seeing their rights and freedoms trampled upon by the previous administration.

The new president has vowed to “follow the path of moderation”. And while he has reiterated Iran’s refusal to end uranium enrichment, as demanded by the United Nations Security Council, he has said he will ensure greater openness in the nuclear programme. 

The US and the West as a whole need to act now and come up with a comprehensive proposal that aims to curb Iran’s potential to develop nuclear weapons, in exchange for the gradual lifting of sanctions. Along the way, the Western powers will see a bigger role for Iran in places like Afghanistan and Syria. 

While his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was known for being confrontational, Rawhani has a reputation for trying to build consensus. But for Rowhani to make concessions to the West, the West will have to offer something tangible in return. 

If Myanmar is any lesson, sanctions will not bring about the desired outcome. It can be a convenient tool to force “rogue” nations to return to acceptable norms and practices. But it took Myanmar a long time to change, although change did eventually come. Because at the end of the day, no matter how close one gets to launching an all-out war to resolve differences, negotiation continues to be the best option.