Iran to rest of world: “talk to the hand”
The New York Times’ Nazila Fathi and Michael Slackman report on a worrisome development in Iran: Iran?s chief nuclear negotiator, viewed by the West as a moderating influence in Tehran, resigned before crucial talks with Europe this week over Iran?s nuclear program, signaling that officials here may have closed the door to any possible negotiated ...
The New York Times' Nazila Fathi and Michael Slackman report on a worrisome development in Iran: Iran?s chief nuclear negotiator, viewed by the West as a moderating influence in Tehran, resigned before crucial talks with Europe this week over Iran?s nuclear program, signaling that officials here may have closed the door to any possible negotiated settlement in its standoff with the West. The negotiator, Ali Larijani, was among a small group of officials who, while supportive of Iran?s nuclear ambitions, have tried to press back against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his more radical approach, which has left Iran increasingly isolated. But with Mr. Larijani?s resignation, it appears that the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all matters of state, has fallen in squarely behind the president. Mr. Ahmadinejad represents the most radical face of the leadership, which has defied the United Nations Security Council twice and sped up the process of uranium enrichment. Mr. Larijani had been appointed by and reported to the supreme leader. Now, with oil prices high enough to help Iran mitigate the effects of any new sanctions, and with Russia?s president, Vladimir V. Putin, having made a historic trip to Tehran last week, it appears that the top leadership has settled on a single, radical track. ?This is definitely a major political change, and not necessarily a positive one,? said Saeed Leylaz, a political analyst and former government official. ?It might mean that Iran is speeding up its activities and is becoming more radical, especially now with higher oil prices.?UPDATE: Farideh Farhi provides some worrisome analysis over at the ICGA blog: The most unsettling aspect of this move from the insiders point of view may be questions raised regarding Ayatollah Khamenei's control over the nuclear file. Both of the possibilities - that he has either lost control or decided to throw his support for the most radical elements in the Iranian political system - are bound to unsettle the domestic political scene. For him, to be seen as being in one corner with Ahmadinejad against all the other heavyweights of Iranian politics, including Hashemi Rafsanjani, Khatami, Karrubi, Rezaie, Qalibaf, and now Larijani, is a predicament he has tried hard to avoid at least publicly.
The New York Times’ Nazila Fathi and Michael Slackman report on a worrisome development in Iran:
Iran?s chief nuclear negotiator, viewed by the West as a moderating influence in Tehran, resigned before crucial talks with Europe this week over Iran?s nuclear program, signaling that officials here may have closed the door to any possible negotiated settlement in its standoff with the West. The negotiator, Ali Larijani, was among a small group of officials who, while supportive of Iran?s nuclear ambitions, have tried to press back against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his more radical approach, which has left Iran increasingly isolated. But with Mr. Larijani?s resignation, it appears that the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all matters of state, has fallen in squarely behind the president. Mr. Ahmadinejad represents the most radical face of the leadership, which has defied the United Nations Security Council twice and sped up the process of uranium enrichment. Mr. Larijani had been appointed by and reported to the supreme leader. Now, with oil prices high enough to help Iran mitigate the effects of any new sanctions, and with Russia?s president, Vladimir V. Putin, having made a historic trip to Tehran last week, it appears that the top leadership has settled on a single, radical track. ?This is definitely a major political change, and not necessarily a positive one,? said Saeed Leylaz, a political analyst and former government official. ?It might mean that Iran is speeding up its activities and is becoming more radical, especially now with higher oil prices.?
UPDATE: Farideh Farhi provides some worrisome analysis over at the ICGA blog:
The most unsettling aspect of this move from the insiders point of view may be questions raised regarding Ayatollah Khamenei’s control over the nuclear file. Both of the possibilities – that he has either lost control or decided to throw his support for the most radical elements in the Iranian political system – are bound to unsettle the domestic political scene. For him, to be seen as being in one corner with Ahmadinejad against all the other heavyweights of Iranian politics, including Hashemi Rafsanjani, Khatami, Karrubi, Rezaie, Qalibaf, and now Larijani, is a predicament he has tried hard to avoid at least publicly.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
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