Congratulations to global diplomacy! The Iran nuclear deal is something to celebrate for diplomatic solutions. For over three decades, Iran and the US have been enemies. Their hatred has framed the Middle East’s alliances and fuelled terror and war. The interim deal over Iran’s nuclear programme has not changed that, far from it. But through the keyhole, it offers a glimpse of a different, better Middle East. It is definitely a vision worth striving for. Doing anything with Iran is a gamble, but in the short-term, there is not much for the West to lose. The big face-saving concession for Iran is that the regime is still permitted to continue enriching uranium.
If the regime makes a dash for a bomb, the world can find out soon enough to take action. If the talks break down, Iran will not be much closer to having a bomb than it is today and further away than it would have been without a deal. The Islamic Republic of Iran is a country with a rich imperial history and is also the most important Shiite Muslim power. If it changes its outlook, the whole of the Middle East will change with it.
Imagine a day in which Iran concluded that spreading mayhem ultimately tends to create trouble at home and began to view its neighbours in terms of opportunities rather than threats. That would do more for the security than any number of weapons’ agreements. Countries are troubled by the prospect of a redeemed Iran and also convinced that the whole idea is a dangerous illusion. Yet, the real fantasy is to imagine that more sanctions or harsher negotiations could have produced a deal that was much better than this one. The alternative was not for Iran to abandon its nuclear programme, but for the US to abandon its diplomacy. It is already clear that the risks are low and the alternative is worse. The Iranian nuclear deal is a huge victory for diplomatic solutions and diplomacy!
— The reader is a South African educator based in Cape Town, South Africa
