Relations between Iran and the United States have been ice cold since 1979. The terrorist attack of 9/11 could have been one opportunity for a thawing, but “among the plethora of murderously stupid things former United States President George W. Bush did was to shut that door by including Iran in his “axis of evil” speech in 2002,” writes International Affairs columnist Jonathan Manthorpe.
But now, the common threat posed by the Islamic State extremists — in the news this week for their grotesque murder of journalist James Foley — may finally open channels of communication. An excerpt of Manthorpe’s new column, Washington and Tehran find common cause against Islamic State:
It’s always a bit of a shock when the stern clerics that run Iran display an impish sense of humour.
So when Iran’s Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, was quoted today as offering to help the West’s campaign against the Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq in return for the lifting of crippling sanctions against Tehran, the natural inclination was to chuckle at his gall and turn the page.
But not so fast. A close reading of Zarif’s remarks shows that he was not being whimsical. He was entirely serious and while his suggestion is not feasible at the moment, it reflects the reality that there is a growing convergence of interests in the Middle East between Iran on one side and the United States and its European allies on the other.
That convergence has been brought into focus by the rise of the fanatical Sunni Muslim group, the Islamic State (IS) … read Washington and Tehran find common cause against Islamic State. (Log in first; subscription required*)
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