Why Tehran and Washingtons love affair cannot hold still Relations with the West Its openness to the West has been primarily driven by economic hardship. However, openness cannot be sustained for long. Iran’s very existence has been dependent on slogans of hating the West, and Washington has to stay aware of that. When Iranian Foreign Minister Jawad Zarif was in Vienna supposedly negotiating a nuclear deal with the West, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had to reassure the masses and appear under anti-American banners. Iran needs instability to survive. Its regional role has been simply carried out through crisis-management, exporting terrorism and exerting influence. Even if President Hassan Rouhani has been a relief to the world compared to his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, the former is not capable of changing this very basic principle. Iran might be a stable country, but it has been the cause of instability since its revolution. The recipe for stability in the region is peace and combating extremism. On those two fronts, Iran has provided nothing positive. It has been opposed to ending hostility between Israelis and Palestinians, while moderate Arab countries have pursued efforts to make peace and combat extremism. Iran, even if it so wishes, would not be able to replace institutional alliances between the West and the Arab world. Parsi labels Riyadh as the “former ally of the United States,” in a naive attempt to undermine the importance and variety of American-Saudi cooperation. This relationship has been beneficial for both sides, and has overcome serious challenges. For Washington to rely on Iran, the checklist Tehran has to go through is significant. It would have to be a source of regional stability. It would have to publicly denounce Assads massacres, disown Hezbollah’s terrorism, stop training extremist Shiite militias; ban the transfer of funds to Al-Qaeda, allow a system of governance that does not put religious extremists such as the supreme leader above the democratic system, and have a positive role in seeking a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Washington’s allies support a stable Iran and normalizing its relations with the West. After all, Gulf states have suffered from Iran’s interventions and actions against U.S. interests for too long. However, Iran must stop disturbing the region and long-standing U.S. allies, and stop blaming Saudi Arabia for Tehran’s problems. english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/analysis/2014/06/25/Why-Tehran-and-Washington-s-love-affair-cannot-hold-still.html
Posted on: Wed, 25 Jun 2014 16:10:35 +0000
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