President Obama’s message to Congress clearly underlined the necessity to continue the current course of measures against Iran. Obama argued that Iran’s actions and policies are contrary to the interests of the US and the region and “pose a continuing and unusual and extraordinary threat.”
There are several factors that explain why Obama had been forced to renew the Iran sanctions. Any move by the new president to suspend the sanctions at this point may have been seen as a radical break from his predecessor’s policies on Iran.
Besides, regardless of who is in charge in the White House, the US policies are always guided by its national interests. While Obama has been stressing on engagement with Iran, he has not as yet defined what measures such a policy will include. Efforts at engaging Iran aside, the position taken by Obama on Iran’s uranium enrichment activities that analysts fear would lead to it acquiring a nuclear weapons programme has been one of zero tolerance.
It seems that the long-tested carrot and stick approach, a classic manifestation of the duality of the US foreign policy, is in play vis-a-vis Teheran. Washington is determined to deter the Islamic republic from acquiring nuclear weapons. This is why even as it wants to engage Teheran diplomatically, it continues to wield a stick in the form of sanctions.
There have been efforts from the regional states as well as the international community to persuade Iran to seek international legal channels to acquire nuclear fuel for use in civilian energy sector. Iran, a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has to date denied a military aspect to its nuclear programme and insists that its activities are solely for peaceful purposes.
Nonetheless, concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme in the Gulf region are growing, largely owing to Iran’s belligerent rhetoric and interventionist policies. Iran has not exactly endeared itself to its neighbours and has rather isolated itself in the region. Even though the Gulf states have welcomed Obama’s overtures to Teheran, there’s also been an underlying concern that the US might overlook or ignore the security concerns of the Gulf states.
The region would ideally like to see an improvement in relations with Iran. The Islamic republic has demonstrated over the past few years that it is determined to continue building its nuclear programme come what may. The challenge herein lies in persuading Teheran with enough incentives to abandon its controversial pursuit of a nuclear programme and instead look at what is being offered in terms of a legal civilian nuclear energy programme as part of an international consensus.
The US would do well to step up its engagement with the Iranian leadership, rather than maintain the status quo, if it wants some movement towards rapprochement. Sanctions alone will not achieve the objective.
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