The Time Has Come for Direct Negotiations

Talks in Moscow have ended inconclusively. And Iran is still ignoring the UN ultimatum. In order not to let the conflict escalate any further, diplomatic solutions are needed now more than ever, according to Peter Philipp

In a speech in Mashdad Iran's President Ahmadinejad recently declared that iran has successfully enriched Uranium (photo: DPA) — Confrontational politics merely plays into the hands of Tehran's hardliners. The USA should therefore overcome its qualms about entering into direct talks with Iran, says Peter Philipp

There's not much time left to try to force concessions from Tehran that it is not prepared to make. Iran has been commanded to suspend its uranium enrichment program by April 28 at the latest … or else what?

The UN Security Council decreed this open ultimatum at the urging of the Americans, but as the date draws nearer, it's abundantly evident that Iran is not about to budge. Not by April 28 and not afterward either. On the contrary: pressure from Washington has only prompted Tehran to officially announce its successful enrichment of uranium.

No agreement forthcoming on sanctions

The latest round of talks concerning the nuclear conflict, which took place in Moscow, has come up empty-handed. The standing members of the UN Security Council, along with Germany, were unable to reach an agreement on sanctions against Iran, because Russia and China reject such measures out of hand.

Those in Washington might have foreseen this outcome – after all, the same set of circumstances has heretofore prevented the Security Council from achieving consensus – other than the decision to put the ball back in the court of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The inspectors under IAEA head Mohammed el Baradei do not see themselves as the enforcers of America's policy on Iran, however: they know only too well that, as a signer of the non-proliferation treaty, Iran has to date acted completely within its legal rights. At the most, one can appeal to Tehran's good will when asking that it dispel foreign mistrust of its motives by voluntarily foregoing its nuclear plans.

But Tehran is not ready to bow to such demands. And the more Washington threatens, the less likely it is that Iran will relent.

The US administration at first denied recent allegations by New York journalist Seymour Hersh that it was playing through war strategies against Iran – including the use of tactical nuclear weapons. President George W. Bush brushed off these reports as pure fantasy – only to turn around and actually threaten the use of atomic weapons himself shortly thereafter.

Demonstrative defense capabilities

Is it any wonder then that Tehran is demonstrating on a daily basis its ability to defend itself, blatantly posturing against potential attackers? If there is still a way out of this intractable situation, then Washington holds the key: instead of baring its teeth, the USA should bring itself to enter negotiations with Iran.

Such talks were already agreed upon in the case of Iraq, but Washington continually postponed them. US senators are also calling on President Bush to enter into direct negotiations. And the mysterious visit of a high Iranian official to Washington recently indicates that such a dialogue would definitely be possible.

Irrespective of the massive criticism of his failed Iraq policy, Bush is now apparently leading his country into a new conflict. And this despite the fact that, as everyone seems to agree, the USA would “overstrain” its resources once and for all were it to take on Iran. The more the crisis is played up beforehand, the direr the defeat is bound to be. Washington already has more than enough problems trying to save face on the Iraq front.

That's why the US should not be hankering for a new military conflict – this time in Iran. Even President Bush is talking about a "diplomatic solution" – and he should know by now that diplomacy is not conducted using tactical atomic weapons.

Peter Philipp

Translated from the German by Jennifer Taylor-Gaida

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