The UK’s foreign secretary, Philip Hammond,has reopened the British embassy in Iran, declaring that there was no limit to what the two countries could achieve, as mutual trust is restored. Hammond watched the union flag being raised in the embassy compound in central Tehran for the first time since it was stormed and ransacked by protesters in 2011. Later inside the embassy, the foreign secretary described the current relationship as “cordial”, but he told the Guardian it remained within the “confines that will always be imposed by the fact that we have fundamentally different views about some issues.” The 140-year-old embassy is still awaiting restoration specialists to cover it up with historically appropriate paint. The graffiti has been left in place as a reminder of the precarious nature of the relationship. The reintegration of Iran as a consequence of the landmark nuclear deal agreed last month is a welcome step in the realm of international politics. The imposition of strict economic sanctions and shunning of Iran from important talks about Middle Eastern affairs, especially Syria, were always counterproductive when considering, in the UK foreign secretary’s own words, how big a player Iran is in the region and the convergence of interests in their mutual opposition to Islamic State. Now with ties restored, there is hope for fruitful talks and steps to stabilise the region. While there is plenty to be hopeful about, there are still many reasons to dampen optimism. For one, there is a long history of Iran’s mistrust of major western powers, and that mistrust is one of the raisons d’être of the Iranian revolution. The suspicions, of course, cut both ways, with the spectre of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons after the fifteen year limit ends dominating newspapers in the UK and US. The UK and US embassy confrontations of 2011 and 1979 respectively still resonate with those countries, with the latter giving no indication of formally restoring diplomatic ties with Iran any time soon. Iran’s return to the fold can therefore be seen as inherently precarious even now. The approval of the Iran nuclear deal is still pending in the US, but despite the extreme controversy, the momentum seems to be in favour of it passing, either by Congress or by a presidential veto if the former fails to adopt it. Though the nuclear deal, as readily accepted by both proponents and opponents, is less than perfect, it still is simply the best possible outcome that could have been hoped for after a long, acrimonious process handicapped by hawks from both sides trying to drown out each other. The main legacy of this deal may be a testament to how even the most contentious and complex of issues can be rationally resolved.
pk.shafaqna.com
