Can President Rohani Break 'Zionist Grip'
Over Capitol Hill? (Kayhan, Iran)
Is the election of moderate cleric Hassan Rohani a sign that a deal with America on Iran's nuclear program, once thought unimaginable, is now possible? According to this editorial from Iran's state-run Kayhan, if the United States can free itself of the 'Zionist lobby', take account of the trauma the U.S., Britain, and even Russia has inflicted on Iran, and convince Iranian leaders that a deal is not just regime-change in disguise, Rohani's election could mark a turning point in history.
Former Iran Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddeq: Arousing the jealousy of the shah and the anger of British oil companies, Mossadegh was toppled in a CIA-backed uprising in 1953. It was a fateful act that continues to scar U.S.-Iran relations. Mosaddeq spent the rest of his life in internal exile. Here he is in 1967.
TEHRAN:
The election of Hassan Rohani, who will be
inaugurated as Iran's seventh president on Sunday, opens some intriguing
possibilities.
In
public statements following his election, Rohani spoke
in conciliatory terms and pledged to walk on the path of increased transparency
and to boost mutual trust between Iran and other nations.
Iran
and the U.S. have had an icy relationship disfigured by passionate emotions
that prevent them from pursuing common strategic interests. These include
stabilizing Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting militant groups like the Taliban and
al-Qaeda, controlling the Afghan drug trade, and calming Syria.
On
the American side, hostility is a product of the deeply traumatic hostage
crisis of 1979-80, and Iran's long and sometimes bloody campaign to undermine U.S.
interests around the world. Iranian hostility springs from a place steeped even more
deeply in history. A nuclear deal with Iran will be possible only if the West
finds a way to calm Iranian fears that such a deal will be just a repeat of the
cycle they have seen over generations.
At
his first press conference as president-elect, Rohani
set three conditions for talks with the United States:
"Americans
should explicitly state that they will never interfere with Iran's domestic
affairs … they must acknowledge all of our undeniable rights ... they must set
aside all of their unilateral and bullying policies."
This
is three ways of expressing the same fear that grips Iranians across political
and social lines: that the outside world is determined to control Iran, limit its
growth and prevent Iran from fulfilling its national potential.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
During
the 19th century during
disastrous wars, Iran lost vast territory. Corrupt monarchs sold off everything
of value in the country to foreigners. Eventually, Iranians rose up and
proclaimed a constitution, but Russian forces bombed its parliament and
re-imposed royal dictatorship. In 1907, Britain and Russia signed a treaty
dividing Iran between them. Not a single Iranian was at the negotiating table
or even knew talks were being held.
Iran's
modern dictator, Reza
Shah Pahlavi, was obsessed with the idea of building a steel mill, but in
1941, soon after he assembled all the components, allied armies invaded Iran
and the project had to be abandoned. A decade later, Prime Minister Muhammad Mossadegh nationalized the Iranian oil industry, but
was overthrown in a coup sponsored by the U.S. and Britain. More recently,
Iranians have suffered under an escalating series of Western sanctions.
Many
Iranians see the Western campaign against their country's nuclear program as
the latest chapter in this story. Any accord between Washington and Tehran will
have to couch Iranian concessions in terms shaped to address Iran's deep-seated
historical fears.
Over
the past 34 years, whenever Iran has made a conciliatory offer to the United
States, Washington was in the hands of militants interested in only war or
regime change.
After
Rohani's election as president, U.S. Senator Lindsey
Graham told the cheering supporters of Christians
United for Israel:
"If
nothing changes in Iran, come September, in October I will present a resolution
that will authorize the use of military force to prevent Iran from developing a
nuclear bomb."
Yet
the election also led to unusually strong calls for negotiation. Twenty-nine
former diplomats, military commanders and national security specialists sent President
Obama a letter asserting that Rohani's emergence
presents a "major potential opportunity to reinvigorate diplomatic efforts."
In another letter, nearly a third of the members of the U.S. House of
Representatives urged Obama to test whether the election represents "a
real opportunity for progress" and to "utilize all diplomatic tools
to reinvigorate ongoing nuclear talks."
The
emergence of President-elect Rohani, particularly at
a time when President Obama no longer needs to worry about re-election, makes possible
what for years has been unimaginable. Reconciliation would allow the world to
stop fearing a Persian Gulf conflagration. However, it will only be possible if
both sides delicately confront the ghosts of history.
Unfortunately,
the new campaign by some U.S. Congress members, which has been warmly welcomed
and praised by the occupying regime of Israel, dispels any hope for rationality.
The sprawling halls of Capitol Hill continue to be haunted by Zionist lobbying
groups.
