Does 'new politics' bring new thinking on Iran?
Amid the thrill of the “new politics”, is there the slightest possibility of any UK “new thinking” about Iran?
In a week in which the emerging world market nations of Brazil and Turkey have done some seriously creative thinking on Iran’s nuclear programme, don’t hold your breath.
Britain still enjoys the largest diplomatic premises in Tehran, still enjoys the virtually unbroken diplomatic relations stretching back a century and a half and more. Enjoys?
Well maybe not. Contrast the UK’s inheritance in Iran with that of the US. America has risked precisely twenty years of full relations with Tehran in the same period. Thirty years on, America has still not accepted the 1979 Islamic Revolution. And thereby hangs today’s tale.
This week began with an extraordinarily bold and imaginative move by Brazil and Turkey to broker a deal to ship most of its stockpile of enriched Uranium out of the country.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Iran has a month to deliver on the deal, or “she is on her own”.
The beauty of this move is that both Brazil – whose charismatic President Lula was in Tehran earlier this week – and Turkey, are members of the UN Security Council. However they cannot veto proposed actions by the Council.
Only a week ago the Americans were celebrating the unity of the permanent five on the council (who do each have a veto) in moving to new sanctions against Iran.
The Turkish-Brazilian move seriously threatened the US’s latest attempt to isolate Iran still further.
Hillary Clinton thought she had full “permanent five” support for this fourth effort to strengthen sanctions against Tehran. She told the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee: “this announcement (of a new sanctions round against Iran) is as convincing an answer to the efforts undertaken in Tehran over the last few days as any we could provide.”
Not often China can be relied upon to ride to the rescue. Overnight her ambassador to the UN has shown every sign of not going along with America’s move. He says he wants diplomatic dialogue.
So where’s Britain in all this? No “new thinking” here. The new UK government is rowing in behind America’s “old politics” on Iran. Is there the slightest chance that William Hague will finally declare efforts to relate to Iran through its nuclear programme only, is both bankrupt and actually dead?
Our flying pig, last seen flying down Whitehall last week, has turned left into King Charles Street. Is the Foreign Office about to say boo to America’s flatulent, sanctions emitting goose?
Whilst Washington and London fantasise about new sanctions, the Mullahocracy in Tehran is getting away with the wholesale abuse of human rights against its opponents. Peaceful protest is being met with torture and imprisonment.
The West’s capacity to do anything to remedy that has been neutralised by sacrificing its influence on the altar of nuclear obsession.
It is hardly an explosive statement to suggest that it is time for “new thinking” on Iran. Given Britain’s historic links with the country, not a bad issue by which to judge the UK coalition government’s “new politics”.
And meantime out in the real world, Iran’s age-old adversary Pakistan is urging its own age-old adversary India to join the $7.6 billion pipeline project which will buy natural gas from Iran’s vast reserves and use it to alleviate severe power shortages which afflict the Indian subcontinent.
Brazil, Turkey, Pakistan, India – getting on with life beyond the old thinking of the West? Burning Iranian gas whilst we fiddle?
That pig needs to do more than burp if the rest of us are not to be left wailing in the winds that swirl around the UN headquarters in New York.