The sacking of Manouchehr Mottaki from his position as Iran's Foreign Minister shows that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is getting ready for a new phase of tougher diplomacy over his administration's long-running quarrel with the international community regarding Iran's nuclear programme. He has replaced Mottaki with Ali Akbar Salehi, the director of Iran's Atomic Energy Agency, and this sends a resounding message that Iran's foreign policy will be led by its nuclear programme, and not the other way round. This is a mistake, and will only prolong the quarrel between Iran and the rest of the world. Iran would be better off seeking a peaceful resolution of the dispute, rather than deliberately inflaming it.
At the same time, Ahmadinejad has removed a senior minister who did not agree with his government's policies. Mottaki's political background was from an equally conservative but much more pragmatic bloc headed by Ali Larijani, a serious rival of Ahmadinejad for power. Larijani's group have been consistent in condemning Ahmadinejad's inflammatory speeches and radical agenda, arguing that they have weakened Iran's position in the region, and made the country more vulnerable without any political or economic gain.
Iranian politicians from all sides have backed Iran's nuclear programme. Ahmadinejad, and his conservative opponents headed by Larijani, and his liberal opponents headed by Mir Hussain Mousavi, all agree that Iran needs a nuclear programme. And they all condemn any use of nuclear weapons, supporting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's description of nuclear weapons as wrong and against Islam. But they see no need to deliberately refuse to allow the international community prove this to their own satisfaction. It is a regret that Ahmadinejad's government does not change its tactics, and seeks to convince the international community that its nuclear programme is not a threat. Without this international consensus, the region is condemned to further insecurity and threats of violence.