Tehran might take note

What hinders Russian-Iranian cooperation?

Important negotiations on Iran's nuclear program are taking place these days in Tehran. Representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in particular the deputy director general of this organization, Olli Heinonen, who arrived in this country, agree to obtain information about Iranian gas centrifuges used to enrich uranium.

Although the IAEA expresses moderate optimism about the possibilities that still exist to resolve the crisis, tensions over Iran's nuclear program remain. Pressure on Iran from the West, new sanctions from American legislators and threats to use military force expressed by “hawks” cannot but cause concern. A new military action in the Middle East will lead to catastrophic consequences.

Moscow's position contrasts with American threats. Russia, as before, does not accept a forceful solution and recognizes Iran's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. And the revelations this fall by former head of the US Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan about the role of oil as the main reason for the Americans' Iraqi adventure make us think about the reasons for such an open bet on the use of force against Iran.

However, the Iranian issue is also connected to a deeper problem. The world community is discussing the “rules of the game” for states wishing to gain access to enriched uranium as part of the development of nuclear energy. The rules should be such as to exclude as much as possible its use for military purposes. A couple of years ago, one of the leading American experts on nuclear issues, John Perkovich, spoke about the need for a political initiative from Berlin, London, Paris and Washington that would allow Tehran to stop activities to create a fuel cycle so that this could be interpreted as “Iran’s unconditional victory.” over the USA and the EU."

The accusations made against Iran by the United States are also related not only to its nuclear program, but also to the role that Tehran plays and intends to play in the Middle East region. In Moscow, most analysts do not take seriously the accusations that Tehran allegedly provides support to almost all terrorist and extremist organizations in the Muslim world, including even the Taliban movement. After all, the Taliban is a long-time ideological and political enemy of Iran, which only benefited from the overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam in Iraq.

In Russian political circles and the expert community, the prevailing opinion is that there is so far no convincing evidence that Tehran intends to acquire nuclear weapons. But there are suspicions that Tehran has the power to dispel. Now Moscow is somewhat disappointed with the politics and especially the rhetoric of Iran. It is difficult for sincere supporters of the Russian-Iranian partnership to defend their position, since they themselves cannot always explain the excessive rigidity and inflexibility of their Iranian partners. The accusations against Russia sometimes heard from Tehran cause bewilderment, when any natural discrepancies between Russian policy and Iranian policy are considered as the result of some kind of “manipulation” from Washington.

This is especially unfair today, when Russia is persistently promoting on the world stage its vision of a fair world order based on taking into account the legitimate interests of regional and global players, the supremacy of international law and collective international institutions. The logic of the reasoning is simple: if we are able to understand that Iran has legitimate interests in regional and global politics and economics, then why shouldn’t our friends in Tehran take note that Russia also has its own interests and international obligations? A fair world order that denies hegemony and unipolarity will be ensured when all powers begin to take into account each other's interests.

Really, Russia and Iran, having so much in common, cannot together find a formula for resolving the crisis around Tehran’s nuclear program that would take into account the interests of other parties and would not cause serious damage to the relations of each of the two states with other powers? It is no secret that not only Western states, but also Iran’s Arab neighbors are expressing concern about Tehran’s nuclear intentions. Today, when Iran is subjected to strong psychological pressure and threats to use military force, a unique opportunity has arisen for Iran to develop a historic compromise with the active participation of Russia. This would allow the Iranians to defend their right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and dispel suspicions that they have some secret plans. This compromise will give a powerful impetus to the Russian-Iranian partnership and take it to a new level.

Vitaly NAUMKIN, professor, director of the Center for Strategic and Political Studies