Iran poised for new status

 

 

In an assessment likely to aid the atmosphere in West Asia and Caucasus, NATO and the United States agreed last week to recommence official ties with Russia and sent feelers to Iran in hopes of securing a bigger support for its Afghan military operation. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held the country's first top-level meeting with Russia through the weekend since President Barack Obama took office in January, seeking to relieve strains and bag assistance over Afghanistan. Even though no key conclusions were reached in the meeting over dinner in Geneva, the Obama administration expects to perk up associations after a post-Cold War low throughout George W Bush's presidency. The administration has held it wishes to "press the reset button" and has fixed its focus on Eastern Europe missile defence, Afghanistan, nuclear non-proliferation and Iran as areas for potential progress. The Kremlin on its part says it is prepared to broaden collaboration, and Russian officials consider that if the Taliban is not restricted in Afghanistan, militancy could extend throughout former Soviet states in Central Asia and arrive at Russia.

The fresh White House line-up is noticeably eager to circumvent prime minister and former president, Vladimir Putin, and centre its negotiation with President Dmitry Medvedev. For any major change in the Russo-US understanding, Moscow would be resolute on the abandonment of Pentagon's missile shield plan in Poland and the Czech Republic and a complete brake over Ukraine and Georgia joining NATO.

In another sharp swivel from the preceding US administration, Barack Obama has said he wishes to engage Iran on multiple issues and a conference invite on that would be the beginning of an ambassadorial outreach to Tehran. Nonetheless, Washington remains at odds with Tehran, largely over its alleged nuclear agenda. "Tehran will be elated by this outreach, as it is in accordance with their wish and claim to be accepted by the Americans as a regional authority. Time and again, they have insisted that the Taliban issue can not be comprehensively resolved without their involvement,” said George Friedman, an Iran-US relation expert at Stratfor.

This shift might also re-establish a US-Iranian tie that snapped following Bush's vilification of the Islamic republic as a component of in the "axis of evil". Both nations are seen having a mutual interest in beating the Taliban – Iran and Shia’s age-old foe – and in restraining poppy production in Afghanistan.