Opinion     

Talks for a permanent deal on the Iran nuclear issue

China.org.cn, April 8, 2014

• It seems highly unlikely that after years of opposition the West would agree to anything that might provide an opportunity for Iran to go nuclear. Iran knows this, but is still trying to leverage its position to get maximum economic relief while going to completely give up its strategic ambitions. The problem with Iran is that it is pitched against a unified group of nations that has the power to increase or decrease the amounts of sanctions. Any brinkmanship should have the support of at least one of the five permanent members of the Security Council.

  The second worry for the Iranian government is that it urgently needs an outlet for its oil and gas exports. Currently, no country is ready to execute major energy deals with Iran due to fear of sanctions from the United States. A major gas pipeline project with Pakistan has been stalled due to threat of punishing embargoes. India has already pulled out of the initial tri-nation (Iran-Pakistan-India) multi-billion dollar gas deal after making a civil nuclear agreement with the United States. However, Iran should not be forced to sign a nuclear agreement it cannot sell to its people. There are limits for the new leader Hasan Rouhani, who came to power last year but faced angry protests after his telephone call with Barack Obama.

  As the two sides cover substantial areas central to the comprehensive agreement during the third round of the talks, they must take into consideration the need to build trust. Iran is obviously wary of overt thinking among the masses that it was being deprived of a just right to meet energy and strategic needs by the international community, which is dominated by the United States. This narrative has been built though years of anti-West programming and now it is highly challenging for its leadership to wriggle out of it. Before forcing Iran to give major concessions, the other side should offer tangible gains to the Iranian people. It is time to let the common Iranian know that they will not be safe through the nukes but with better hospitals, jobs, educational institutions and let them know that a strong export-based industrial complex can provide a guarantee for a better future.

  The writer is a Pakistani analyst and journalist.

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