Ramin's Space: For the Iran Nuclear Deal, it's the Americans who have to rebuild trust
A better understanding of history and of Iranians' perspective would go a long way.
Iran and the United States, half a world away, are places that actually share many qualities, but with one key difference: I think it’s fair to say that Americans have poor historical memory. That flaw has hampered earlier negotiations with Iranians in the past, and this time President Biden’s team, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and lead negotiator Rob Malley, need to pay heed. Iranians are still smarting from a long history of American threats, punishments and interference, since before the 1953 CIA-backed coup till President Trump’s four disastrous years.
To revive the Iran Nuclear Deal, otherwise known as the JCPOA, and thereby curb nuclear proliferation in the region, Biden will first have to make up for the sins of his predecessor. Ultimately — and this is the point many people seem to have missed so far — that will mean making the first concessions, reversing at least some of the Trump administration’s economic sanctions, which violated the agreement, and acknowledging if not apologizing for the attacks on Iran, which at least contradicted the spirit of the agreement.
The Iranian government, led by Hassan Rouhani and Ali Khamenei, will have to make concessions too, of course. But Iran hasn’t had a nuclear weapons program in nearly two decades, according to both American and international intelligence, and they had upheld their side of the nuclear agreement until very recently: the uptick in their nuclear enrichment over the past couple years came after the Trump administration’s violations; it’s easily reversible; and it’s clearly a negotiation tactic. In contrast, Trump repeatedly pilloried the agreement until finally completely reneging on the US’s commitments, imposing punishing sanctions despite Iran’s compliance, unleashing economic suffering that later worsened impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump also imposed a “Muslim ban” that included travelers from Iran, and he assassinated Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani by drone strike. Iranians are a proud people, and they’ve never responded well to threats. They’re already incensed by the Biden administration’s first military action: arguably illegal airstrikes on eastern Syria said to be targeting Iranian-backed militia groups. (I think Iran’s government erred though by rejecting the European Union’s offer to hold direct nuclear talks with the US after this strike though.)
To have any chance of success resurrecting the nuclear deal, the Biden administration will need to rebuild trust, sit down at the negotiating table, and talk to their Iranian counterparts in good faith and with respect, which will be returned. The Iranian government has made crucial mistakes too and also needs to demonstrate their commitment to new nuclear talks, but it’s Biden’s advisors who will have to make the first goodwill measures.
Biden’s team also will need to learn to understand Iranians’ perspective — a crucial but often lacking element of this kind of diplomacy. Iranians are concerned about the US arsenals, troops, drone bases and other military bases surrounding them in many neighboring and nearby countries, and they’ve also noticed that the US government has never given Iran the same deference as it has to other nuclear powers in the region, namely Israel to the west and Pakistan and India to the east.
I’m half Iranian, half American, and a former physicist. I’ve written before about the benefits of this nuclear agreement for Iranians and Iranian science. But I can imagine how challenging it must be to negotiate with people of a different country, language and culture about politically fraught and technical details involving centrifuges, reactors, and fuel stockpiles. Negotiators have time pressure too, as in this case there are just three months until Iran’s upcoming presidential elections.
I believe it would help to recall some similarities and connections between Iranians and Americans. When I last visited Iran, during pre-COVID times, I saw that people love hanging out at outdoor cafes there too, though Iranians naturally prefer tea over coffee. I also met numerous promising science students in Tehran, many of whom would jump at the chance to work in the US. Here in America, we’ve benefited from Iranian expats, not just scientists and doctors but also movie directors (including another Ramin!), writers, and chefs. In fact, the Iranian diaspora around the world has its biggest concentration in Los Angeles (haven’t you heard of “Tehrangeles”?). Most Iranians have nothing against Americans, even if they’ve been unhappy about actions by the American government.
Iranians, like Americans, similarly have a stake in the affairs of their neighboring countries, which in Iran’s case are occupied by American military forces. Iranians also take offense at foreign interference in their elections. Both Iranians and Americans would like a nuclear-free world, or at least one less reliant on nuclear weapons. Both countries are also preparing, albeit slowly and in their own ways, for a post-oil future. That’s something we should all support, and a restored Iran Nuclear Deal would be a critical step in that direction. If nuclear diplomacy is indeed a priority for the Biden administration, they should act like it.
More about me: I'm an astrophysicist turned writer and freelance journalist based in San Diego. You can find me at my website, raminskibba.net and on Twitter @raminskibba. I'm also the former president of the San Diego Science Writers Association (SANDSWA) and on the board of the National Association of Science Writers (NASW), though the opinions I express here are mine alone. You’re welcome to share this newsletter, and if you like what you’ve been writing or want to support my work, please consider a paid subscription. Thanks!