Iran and US Looking for a Comprehensive Plan to Solve Problems

Negotiations should start from Afghanistan, where there lie common interests.

The possibility of negotiations between Iran and the United States has turned into a hot diplomatic topic these days. Consequently, the starting point for the talks has also become a focus of speculation. Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan are countries which directly benefit from Iran-US talks, thus welcoming and encouraging immediate start of negotiations.

Dr. Naser Hadian, an expert on Iran-US relations has discussed the circumstances and conditions for direct talks:

United States foreign policy handlers are now pondering on policies they should implement vis-à-vis Iran. Inside America, there are different views: some defend taking further steps towards mending the relations; however, another group believes in taking cautious measures with an eye on the results of Iran’s upcoming presidential elections.

The eventual resultant of these views inclines towards continued contacts between the two countries and it doesn’t seem to rely on election results. According to this approach, there are established loci of power in Iran that do not undergo changes with elections. At any rate, Americans have to deal with these power loci during negotiations. So it’s better to keep up the plans.

Iran and talks with the United States

On the other hand, Iranians have met American officials at certain levels. Tehran also believes that contacts should continue. However, up to now these contacts have been limited and selective on such issues as the situation in Iraq or Iran’s nuclear program. The general feeling at present is that the United States is moving towards a comprehensive plan for solving problems with Iran. Iran also tends more towards resolving working out on grand issues rather than specific cases.

The starting point

On the course of diplomacy between Iran and the United States, it seems that Afghanistan is the most at-hand option for starting negotiations since Iran and America have common interests in this country.