Every country goes through ups and downs — currently Iran is on the up after a long and bitter fight with enemies real and imaginary. In Tehran, optimism is in the air as many feel friendly ties with the West are a real possibility for the first time in many years. At present, young Iranian men and women are transfixed by the thaw in relations between their political leaders and the West, particularly the United States, after decades of mutual hostility summed up by the slogan “Death to America”.
There are positive signals, such as the United Kingdom’s eagerness to reopen its embassy in Tehran and Iran Air’s plans to revive direct flights to the US. Relaxation of strained relations has also triggered a spate of business delegations to Tehran. But even as expectations soar, Iranians Weekend Review spoke to asserted that any rapprochement with the West at the cost of national honour is out of the question as they are extremely proud of the country’s achievements since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Tehran and six world powers — the US, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany — clinched an interim deal in November to ease one of the most persistent geopolitical headaches of the 21st century. Negotiations are on to scale down Iran’s nuclear programme to allay concerns that it wants atomic weapons — something Iran vehemently denies — in return for lifting all Western and UN sanctions that are hitting its vital oil exports, clogging up its financial system and causing major economic problems.
There are still major differences to bridge — the biggest sticking point is uranium enrichment — a process that can produce nuclear fuel but also, when highly purified, the core of an atomic bomb.
Tehran, a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, insists all that it is interested in is nuclear energy but the West suspects darker motives. So negotiators want face-to-face talks to carry on until an agreement is hammered out ensuring Iran’s return to the international fold.
Tiam Kiani, 29, manages the art gallery at Tehran’s Laleh Hotel — the new incarnation of the pre-revolution InterContinental — where room occupancy has improved since the start of a political détente late last year. Daughter of Golam Raza, a highly respected professor Art University of Esfahan, she spent six years at Sapienza University of Rome doing a PhD in restoration and conservation of historical buildings.
“I returned to Tehran in April in a new climate of optimism and hope. As an Iranian and an artist, I’m extremely happy that my country has extended the hand of friendship to people of various nations, religions and cultures. I’m a great believer in peace. And peace is a prerequisite for art — which happens to be my vocation in life”, said Kiani, flashing a smile which lit up the hall lined with paintings on sale.
“Tourists are flocking to Iran after a long time. You can see so many foreigners in our hotels and museums. As there is no tension now, overseas visitors can admire the beauty and culture of Iran in a relaxed atmosphere. Renewal of trust is doing wonders at so many levels.”
Kiani is happy that peace is transforming Iran’s profile as a nation. “Until last year, Iran was never shown in good light. Living in Rome, I was pained by the depiction of Iran and Iranians in the Italian media. Iranian people were always portrayed as terrorists itching to wage war against the whole world. The main culprit was the Italian media, along with the US and international media which deliberately painted a negative picture of my country. The lowering of tension with the West has had a sobering effect also on the media which now looks at Iran objectively”, she remarked.
The conspicuous presence of American and European tourists in Vali-e-Asr street bear Kiani out. Tehran’s longest avenue, nearly 19 kilometres, was once called Pahlavi street after Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the Iranian king Ayatollah Khomieini overthrew in 1979.
Renamed after the 12th Shiite Imam, Vali-e-Asr is now Tehran’s main thoroughfare dotted with royal palaces, museums, hip coffee shops, fine dining restaurants, shopping malls, art galleries, theatres, cinema halls and magnificent parks.
I found the tree-lined Vali-e-Asr showcasing modern Tehran teeming with foreigners amid a surge in tourism after global softening towards Iran. According to British newspaper, The Telegraph, “35 years ago, Iran dropped off the tourist map, becoming the preserve of a few hardcore independent travellers and those in organised groups. Since the election of a more moderate Hassan Rouhani as president in August and last year’s nuclear agreement, Iran is returning to travellers’ bucket lists with a bang.”
Tourist dollars are obviously welcome in sanctions-hit Iran as income from oil and gas is down 50 per cent, the rate of inflation and unemployment has risen to 40 per cent and its currency, the rial, has depreciated dangerously. Upbeat tour operators are comparing Iran to Myanmar, which has been a top-selling destination since the election of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2012, the advent of democracy and the country’s change in stance on hosting visitors.
Ariane M. Tabatabai and I struck up a conversation during a coffee break at a Foreign Ministry seminar in Tehran to mark the 25th death anniversary of Ayatollah Khomeini. Tabatabai, an Iranian nuclear researcher at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, was cautiously optimistic about the ongoing nuclear talks. But she warned that sanctions are unlikely to be lifted in their totality any time soon.
“The US, particularly, has a number of issues which influence sanctions, including Iranian support to Hezbollah and other groups which are on the US terrorist list and human rights issues. The negotiations between Iran and Security Council members plus Germany are being broadly referred to as nuclear talks. But they will eventually also deal with Iran’s support to groups on America’s terror list and Iran’s compliance with human rights at home. And until these tricky issues are resolved — along with nuclear issues — sanctions will not be completely lifted”, she explained.
But Tabatabai, like most other Iranians, is all for the interim deal struck in November. “I think it was a good deal. Unlike what hardliners in the US or Israel and Saudi Arabia were saying, it was a deal everyone could stand behind. It wouldn’t be bad if it was extended by a few more months. But the best case scenario would be to conclude a deal before there are changes in the team (such as the impending departure of Catherine Ashton, European Union foreign affairs chief) and a possible domestic shift in the US. So a final agreement should be signed sooner rather than later.”
“Luckily, the hardliners in the US have not been as vocal as they were initially and they have stopped their efforts to block unrelated bills on the Hill to slap more sanctions against Iran. Iranian hardliners, however, have become increasingly vocal. Luckily, key decision-makers in the country, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are steadfastly standing behind the national negotiating team.”
According to Tabatabai, the West and Iran are “quite committed” to what she calls “successfully closing the dossier”, or burying the hatchet.
“The biggest challenge is expectation management on both sides. Obviously, they have to find a way to limit Iran’s enrichment capabilities, by rolling back its number of centrifuges, while allowing Iran to keep an enrichment capability that will be acceptable to it. Which means that President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif should also be able to sell the deal and the limits on its enrichment capabilities at home, including to those who have expressed concern that Iran is conceding too much.”
As expected, anti-Americanism hasn’t disappeared from Iran in recent months. On the contrary, addressing a mammoth gathering at Ayatollah Khomeini’s mausoleum on the occasion of his 25th death anniversary, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, blasted the “Great Satan”. “Battle and jihad are endless,” he thundered. “This battle will only end when the society can get rid of the oppressors’ front with America at the head of it, which has expanded its claws on human mind, body and thought.” Behind him was a banner reading, “America cannot do a damn thing!”
Associate Professor of English Literature at Tehran University Mohammad Marandi is in favour of talks which are expected to result in the signing of a momentous deal. But he also expressed anger at the US for trying to “intimidate” Iran even as negotiators are working overtime to iron out differences.
A bright future awaits Iran, said Marandi, “because sanctions as a tool against the Iranian people are becoming weaker and weaker. If you look at WikiLeaks documents, the objective from many years was to hurt and make ordinary Iranians suffer and to make them exert pressure on the government to change its policies.”
“There is at present a golden opportunity for US to make amends and the ball is clearly in the US’s court as the Iranians are willing to be as open as necessary to ease any concern that the United States may have, if these concerns are genuine in the first place. While Iranians can be flexible, but they are not going to relinquish their sovereignty. If the Americans are mature enough to accept this reality, then a [final] deal is possible. If the Americans think that they can bully Iran into forfeiting its rights as a sovereign country, they are deeply mistaken.”
There are, of course, doubting Thomases too. I met one — who refused to disclose his name — in the Pai Thakt shopping plaza [in Mir Damad in north-west Tehran] which stocks electronic items such as computers and mobiles. The shopkeeper said that the so-called interim nuclear deal and ongoing talks are a big hoax. “I have neither faith in the government nor expectations. If there was a genuine effort at reconciliation, how come there is no outcome for seven long months? I think Iranians are being taken for a ride by our leaders in connivance with foreign powers.”
S.N.M. Abdi, a noted Indian journalist and commentator, recently visited Tehran.
