INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
TEHRAN - In a commentary on August 22 published on the Responsible Statecraft website, Eldar Mamedov, a political adviser for the Social
Democrats in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament (EP), says United States President Joe Biden missed the opportunity
rescue relations with Iran from a Trump-era freefall
the traditional Washington view holds Iran solely responsible for its antagonistic relationship with the United States.That such a
nuance-free view of Iran dominates the Washington discourse across the political spectrum renders any potential rapprochement with Tehran a
To break this vicious cycle of enmity, it could be more useful to recognize that since the 1979 Iranian revolution both sides have been
guilty of missing opportunities to improve relations.However, the Islamic Republic has also a pragmatic streak that repeatedly led its
leaders to make overtures to Washington
Of note, Iran helped the United States overthrow the Taliban regime in Afghanistan after 9/11, only to be slapped by then-President George W
proof that, with the right leadership, both sides can set aside their deep antagonisms and pragmatically focus on achieving deals for mutual
wanted it so badly that he requested to meet President Hassan Rouhani on no less than eight occasions
with Iran from a Trump-era freefall
However, the Biden administration missed that chance by refusing to rejoin the JCPOA swiftly via a presidential executive order while it
still had a willing partner in the Rouhani government.Negotiating with the Raisi administration has predictably proved more difficult
Yet as the subsequent negotiations have shown, there are pragmatists also within the current political camp: after much criticism of the
negotiation involves gives and takes.It is now the responsibility of both governments to ensure that the revival of the JCPOA does not add
to the long list of missed opportunities
Iranians should not overplay their hand as closer relations with Russia and China are no substitute to a re-integration into the world
economy, where the United States still plays a leading role
lies in pragmatically seizing on the opportunities for engagement and building on them
The leaders in Tehran are not impervious to the notion of the national interest
Reducing tensions with the United States is clearly in the interests of Iran
Likewise, at a time when the United States faces potent challenges from Russia and China, de-escalating tensions with a middling power in
the Persian Gulf that poses no vital threat to United States security should be a low-hanging fruit.
