“President Rouhani’s inauguration and the future of Iran’s nuclear program negotiations,” Interview with Hossein Mousavian, Marie Tanao-Archer, The Mainichi Newspaper, August 4, 2013. (Japanese)
Tag: Iran
Death by moderation
“Death by moderation,” Interview with Hossein Mousavian, Omid Memarian, Foreign Policy, August 2, 2013.
Iranian insider on country’s new leader (Video)
“Iranian insider on country’s new leader,” Interview with Hossein Mousavian, Christiane Amanpour, CNN, July 25, 2013. (Video)
Netanyahu’s Threats Undermine Possible Nuclear Deal With Iran
Regrettably, Iran and its European counterparts failed to reach a final agreement because President George W. Bush continued to deny the legitimate rights of Iran under the NPT, altering the balance of forces in Iran toward those in favor of radicalism. Once again, with President-elect Rouhani, there is a golden opportunity for the US to reinvigorate diplomatic efforts to resolve the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program.
Netanyahu needs to know that Rouhani is neither wolf nor sheep. He is a pragmatic politician who has already proved his sincerity to realize a peaceful, sustainable and realistic solution to the nuclear dilemma. The US should not miss or dismiss this unique opportunity. President Obama should be brave and invest political capital to pursue a direct and broad deal with Iran and end over three decades of hostilities. Such historical achievements require Netanyahu to recognize a fact: US-Iran rapprochement is the only way to decrease tensions between Tehran and Tel Aviv.
Change with Rouhani?
“Change with Rouhani?” Interview with Hossein Mousavian, Jasmin Ramsey, IPS, July 15, 2013.
Rouhani’s Nuclear Options
[Author’s note: The views in this paper were presented prior to the Iranian presidential election at the NPT Prepcom on April 25 and publicly at Global Zero event at University of California-Irvine on May 23, 2013 respectively. This paper does not reflect in anyway the official position of the Iranian government.]
The Iranian nuclear dilemma is centered on the legitimate rights of Iran to enrichment under the NPT, and is not about building a nuclear bomb. Iran has signed onto every Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) convention, such as the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 1997, the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in 1996, and the NPT in 1970. Such conventions entail rights and obligations for all signatories. The West, however, has chosen, in contravention of international law, to carry out a coercive policy whereby Iran is pressed on obligations while its rights are denied.
“Rouhani’s Nuclear Options,” Hossein Mousavian, Asharq Al-Awsat, July 10, 2013.
Five Options for Iran’s New President
[Author’s note: The views in this paper were presented prior to the Iranian presidential election at the NPT Prepcom on April 25 and publicly at Global Zero event at University of California-Irvine on May 23, 2013 respectively. This paper does not reflect in anyway the official position of the Iranian government.]
Nuclear negotiations lasting more than a decade between Iran and world powers have failed. The talks have been unable to reconcile the concerns voiced by the United States and other parties that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon with Iran’s insistence that its program is strictly peaceful and only intended for civilian energy production.
Publicly, the U.S. and other Western officials blame the failure of nuclear talks on Iran. The key question, however, is whether talks have failed because of the perceived Iranian intention to build a nuclear bomb, or due to the West’s unwillingness to recognize Iran’s right to enrich uranium under international safeguards. Former U.S. officials Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett, authors of Going to Tehran: Why the United States Must Come to Terms with the Islamic Republic of Iran, recently addressed this issue, which rarely is part of Iran policy debates in the United States: “Washington’s unwillingness [to recognize the rights of Iran for enrichment] is grounded in unattractive, but fundamental, aspects of American strategic culture: difficulty coming to terms with independent power centers (whether globally or in vital regions like the Middle East); hostility to non-liberal states, unless they subordinate their foreign policies to U.S. preferences (as Egypt did under Sadat and Mubarak); and an unreflective but deeply rooted sense that U.S.-backed norms, rules, and transnational decision-making processes are meant to constrain others, not America itself.”
Iran, as a sovereign state and a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), is entitled to uranium enrichment. I believe that if Washington recognized Iran’s right to enrich, a nuclear deal could be reached immediately. Without this recognition, no substantial agreement will be possible.
“Five Options for Iran’s New President,” Hossein Mousavian, Cairo Review, pgs. 68-79. Published by the Cairo Review of Global Affairs, July 2013.
Nuclear Options for Iran’s New President (Arabic)
ستكون هناك فرصة أكبر لتحقيق انفراجة دبلوماسية في الجمود بشأن البرنامج النووي الإيراني خلال الولاية الثانية للرئيس الأميركي باراك أوباما، الذي طالب القادة الإيرانيين، في خطاب حالة الاتحاد لعام 2013، بـ«الاعتراف بأن هذا هو الوقت المناسب للتوصل إلى حل دبلوماسي». وعلاوة على ذلك، يأتي فوز كبير المفاوضين النوويين الإيرانيين حسن روحاني بانتخابات الرئاسة الإيرانية الشهر الماضي ليقدم آفاقا جديدة للمفاوضات.
“Nuclear Options for Iran’s New President,” Hossein Mousavian, Asharq Al-Awsat, July 9, 2013. (Arabic)
The Rise of the Iranian Moderates
With Rouhani’s victory, politics of Iran will shift toward the center and reduce 16 years of factionalism in the administration. Rouhani — a moderate centrist — believes the government cannot be ruled by one faction, neither Reformist nor Principalist. Instead, he advocates for the full utilization of the best and most capable public servants from both factions. Following his victory, Rouhani stated, “This victory is a victory of wisdom, a victory of moderation, a victory of growth and awareness and a victory of commitment over extremism and ill-temper.” Addressing factionalism plaguing the country, he added, “I warmly shake the hands of all moderates, Reformists and Principalists [Conservatives].”
“The Rise of the Iranian Moderates,” Hossein Mousavian, Al-Monitor, July 5, 2013.
Confidante of the new Iranian president (Japanese)
“Confidante of the new Iranian president,” Interview with Hossein Mousavian, Fumi Yoshida, Asahi Shimbun, June 28, 2013. (Japanese)
