Iran's Ahmadinejad
Photo: AP
What to do with Iran?
US still unsure on how to handle Iranian threat, may seek Russian assistance
Part 2 of analysis
WASHINGTON – The greater issue of concern about the Iranian front is not the American desire to engage in dialogue with Tehran, but rather, the confusion that currently prevails in Washington.
Within the Obama Administration, we see different views regarding the approaches needed to promote the dialogue with Iran. The questions that needed to be answered are as follows: Who should be the dialogue partner in Iran, and how should the US conduct itself in order not to assist President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ahead of the elections in June?
Then there is the question of whether America can even wait, while the nuclear clock keeps on ticking.
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Only a few days ago, late at night, the State Department announced that veteran diplomat Dennis Ross will be heading the American effort to address the Iranian issue. Yet this is so secret that Iran is not even mentioned as one of the areas under Ross’ responsibility.
Russians want more
In the immediate future, the Americans are attempting to enlist Russia’s help in the effort to curb Iran. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, William Burns, hinted to the Russians two weeks ago that the US may be willing to cut a deal – in the framework of this deal, the US will give up on deploying its missiles in Poland and the Czech Republic, in exchange for a Russian effort to terminate Iran’s nuclear program.
However, this is a highly complex issue. Russia does not make do with an American commitment to terminate the plan to deploy 10 missile batteries in Poland and a radar in Czech territory. The Russians want to reshuffle the global spheres of influence, yet the US is unwilling to even consider it.
Meanwhile, problems and disagreements persist within Russia itself, with the local defense lobby pushing to promote Iran’s nuclear program. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will seek to discuss the Palestinians during her visit to Israel, yet she will hear that Iran is the key to the solution – in the hopes that the Iranian issue will be seriously discussed in Clinton’s meetings later this week in Europe with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
