With levels of mutual animosity having run deep, it is best that US President Barack Obama and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani did not rush impulsively into each other’s arms in a show of false camaraderie and goodwill. Both parties need to invest in patience and efforts to prop up a fractured relationship.
Impulsive gestures would only serve as a false alarm to an expectant world, which has been swift to conclude that a meaningful and long-lasting friendship can only be born out of negotiations and positive action instead of flowery speeches.
Despite holding out olive branches, it is evident that both parties are not quite ready to do business with each other yet. Confidence building measures are, therefore, the order of the day. The element of mistrust, which started with the 1979 Iranian Revolution, needs to be erased with some skilful diplomatic manoeuvring by both sides. While the US needs to scale down its over-the-top rhetoric and threats, replacing it with a gentler, sensible approach, it is Rouhani who must be able to stick his neck out and make a commitment of sorts, or at least provide assurances, towards scaling down Iran’s nuclear designs.
Rouhani’s friendly overtures do not negate the fact that he faces the additional pressure of ensuring that he does not stray too far off from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s revolutionist ideals. But he must remember that the fate and well being of a sanctions-ridden Iranian economy and population rides on every remark and gesture that he makes.
A larger possibility of stability in the region also hangs in the balance. Rouhani must walk on the knife’s edge since he has everything to lose as well as to gain. His utterances have brought about a distinct thaw in the environment between Iran, US and the rest of the world. Words must now be reinforced with transparent and audited actions. Rouhani has the people’s mandate to pursue a moderate course of action. The West should be encouraged by this and ensure that it stress tests the diplomatic path as the ideal way to connect with Iran.
