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| Iran nuclear deal: political figures react to landmark agreement | Iran nuclear deal: political figures react to landmark agreement |
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| Following the historic nuclear agreement in Vienna, which many see as a defining moment in the 36-year history of the Islamic republic, we have interviewed a number of prominent Iranian political figures on their reaction to the news. | |
| Gholamhossein Karbaschi, a former Tehran mayor | Gholamhossein Karbaschi, a former Tehran mayor |
| Karbaschi, a senior political figure close to the reformists, underlined the significance of the nuclear accord by saying it will have a greater strategic importance than the 1988 truce that ended the eight-year war with Iraq, a watershed moment in modern Iranian history. | |
| Related: Iran nuclear talks: historic deal agreed in Vienna – live updates | Related: Iran nuclear talks: historic deal agreed in Vienna – live updates |
| “This is a new opportunity both for Iran and the world,” he said. “The world can now find a new partner in restoring peace and security of our region. Iran will also find an opportunity to take tangible steps to resolve its economic problems resulting from sanctions.” | “This is a new opportunity both for Iran and the world,” he said. “The world can now find a new partner in restoring peace and security of our region. Iran will also find an opportunity to take tangible steps to resolve its economic problems resulting from sanctions.” |
| Karbaschi said Iran helped Washington in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks but later lost its trust in the US when George W Bush infamously labelled Tehran as an “axis of evil” despite its positive role. This deal can help to restore that broken trust, he said. | Karbaschi said Iran helped Washington in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks but later lost its trust in the US when George W Bush infamously labelled Tehran as an “axis of evil” despite its positive role. This deal can help to restore that broken trust, he said. |
| Related: Iran nuclear deal reached in Vienna, say diplomats | Related: Iran nuclear deal reached in Vienna, say diplomats |
| Karbaschi was recently invited to speak before a gathering of political figures in presence of Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, at which he called on the government to open an internal dialogue to resolve internal political challenges. Many of Karbaschi’s political allies are behind bars in Iran, including opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, who have been placed under house arrest. | |
| “I don’t agree with some people who argue that the state will tighten its grip internally after the deal. I actually think when our authorities feel at peace internationally and secure, they will also take steps to resolve internal political problems too,” he said. | “I don’t agree with some people who argue that the state will tighten its grip internally after the deal. I actually think when our authorities feel at peace internationally and secure, they will also take steps to resolve internal political problems too,” he said. |
| “The truce that ended the Iran-Iraq war was concerning a periodic regional issue. I think this deal has a greater strategic importance as it’s a new chapter in Iran’s relations with the international community and will have long-effecting impacts. I hope the government follows its pattern of dialogue with the outside world and start a similar dialogue internally. If we reach some understanding at home, issues like the house arrest of opposition leaders could also be resolved.” | “The truce that ended the Iran-Iraq war was concerning a periodic regional issue. I think this deal has a greater strategic importance as it’s a new chapter in Iran’s relations with the international community and will have long-effecting impacts. I hope the government follows its pattern of dialogue with the outside world and start a similar dialogue internally. If we reach some understanding at home, issues like the house arrest of opposition leaders could also be resolved.” |
| Hamidreza Jalaeipour, sociologist at Tehran University | Hamidreza Jalaeipour, sociologist at Tehran University |
| Jalaeipour, who is also a senior member of Iran’s reformist participation front, said Rouhani had managed to fulfil his campaign promise to rectify the nuclear dossier, which was why millions voted for him in the 2013 presidential election. Ahead of the deal, Rouhani told a crowd in Tehran on Sunday that “I fulfilled my election promise”. | |
| “This deal is positive by itself firstly because it shows that such a complicated issue could be resolved through patient dialogue,” Jalaeipour said. “It is also important because it was a collective effort, it wasn’t only the government pushing for it but the main forces behind the state were also behind it, so were the people. It’s a rare instance in the past decade of a joint effort by various political forces which also had popular support.” | “This deal is positive by itself firstly because it shows that such a complicated issue could be resolved through patient dialogue,” Jalaeipour said. “It is also important because it was a collective effort, it wasn’t only the government pushing for it but the main forces behind the state were also behind it, so were the people. It’s a rare instance in the past decade of a joint effort by various political forces which also had popular support.” |
| Jalaeipour said a minority of hardliners at home and abroad would remain unhappy with the success of diplomacy. The worry, he said, was that they might refuse to admit defeat and instead put a spanner in the works. | Jalaeipour said a minority of hardliners at home and abroad would remain unhappy with the success of diplomacy. The worry, he said, was that they might refuse to admit defeat and instead put a spanner in the works. |
| Only two other events in the history of the Islamic republic are comparable in scale to the importance of the Vienna agreement: one was the 1988 UN-brokered truce that ended the eight-year war with Iraq and the other was the infamous US hostage crisis just after the 1979 revolution. Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, is among at least two Iranian diplomats who were involved in the negotiations of that Iraq truce. | |
| After accepting that truce, the founding leader of the Islamic republic, the late Ayatollah Khomeini, said he drank from a “poisoned chalice”. Many hardliners quietly describe the nuclear accords as the “poisoned chalice” moment for Khomeini’s successor and the current supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. | |
| Jalaeipour said: “I don’t think it was a poisoned chalice then and it isn’t now. The end of the war was a good thing, it was the right thing to do and the heroic leniency [that Khamenei] showed was also logical and right thing to do. It serves our national interest.” In 2013, Khamenei gave more authority to Rouhani’s negotiating team by speaking of “heroic leniency”, which has religious connotations hinting to the leader’s tactical opting for dialogue with the enemy. | |
| “The war with Iraq was imposed on us but the controversies surrounding the nuclear issue was partly due to some radicalism [during Ahmadinejad’s era],” Jalaeipour said. “There were things that were said that did no good to Iran.” According to Jalaeipour, the deal was done because Rouhani, as a pragmatic politician, had enough influence in the establishment to make it happen. | “The war with Iraq was imposed on us but the controversies surrounding the nuclear issue was partly due to some radicalism [during Ahmadinejad’s era],” Jalaeipour said. “There were things that were said that did no good to Iran.” According to Jalaeipour, the deal was done because Rouhani, as a pragmatic politician, had enough influence in the establishment to make it happen. |
| “We have many politicians who are popular in Iran but we also have people who are good with making decisions and pragmatism and Rouhani was one of them in the past two years and his efforts bore fruit,” the sociologist said. | “We have many politicians who are popular in Iran but we also have people who are good with making decisions and pragmatism and Rouhani was one of them in the past two years and his efforts bore fruit,” the sociologist said. |
| Sadegh Zibakalam, a prominent political commentator | Sadegh Zibakalam, a prominent political commentator |
| “In years to come people will refer to the agreement as a landmark in modern Iranian history,” predicted Zibakalam, professor of politics at Tehran University, who has become a familiar face domestically for his alternative view on Iran’s nuclear programme. “Things are bound to change for the better economically. But on the political front things are more complicated.” | “In years to come people will refer to the agreement as a landmark in modern Iranian history,” predicted Zibakalam, professor of politics at Tehran University, who has become a familiar face domestically for his alternative view on Iran’s nuclear programme. “Things are bound to change for the better economically. But on the political front things are more complicated.” |
| Zibakalam and other reformists believe the deal will not only boost Rouhani’s popularity but also guarantee him a second presidential term in 2017. Before that, the parliamentary elections next March are expected to be an opportunity for the reformist camp to make gains, though many prospective candidates are likely to be disqualified. | Zibakalam and other reformists believe the deal will not only boost Rouhani’s popularity but also guarantee him a second presidential term in 2017. Before that, the parliamentary elections next March are expected to be an opportunity for the reformist camp to make gains, though many prospective candidates are likely to be disqualified. |
| Sadeq Kharrazi, a former Iranian ambassador the UN | Sadeq Kharrazi, a former Iranian ambassador the UN |
| Kharrazi, who has close ties to the Iranian establishment, said the deal would reduce tensions in the region and create “a new opportunity to find a way to put out the fire in the Middle East”. He said that the prolonged nuclear talks marked the first time Iran was negotiating from a position of power. | |
| “The deal will also mark a new paradigm in the world and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) can come out of its own cold war phase,” he said. “It also ends the cold war between Iran and the US and they will be able to come to know each other more realistically.” | “The deal will also mark a new paradigm in the world and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) can come out of its own cold war phase,” he said. “It also ends the cold war between Iran and the US and they will be able to come to know each other more realistically.” |
| Seyed Reza Akrami, a senior conservative figure | Seyed Reza Akrami, a senior conservative figure |
| Akrami, a senior conservative figure from the president’s office, said the deal proved to the world that Iran was a reasonable and law-abiding country and its nuclear intensions were entirely peaceful. “After 22 months, the government consolidated Iran’s right to enrichment,” he said. “For many years they spread propaganda against us that we were pursuing nuclear weapons but now it has become clear that not only we are against such weapons but we seek a region free from WMD.” | Akrami, a senior conservative figure from the president’s office, said the deal proved to the world that Iran was a reasonable and law-abiding country and its nuclear intensions were entirely peaceful. “After 22 months, the government consolidated Iran’s right to enrichment,” he said. “For many years they spread propaganda against us that we were pursuing nuclear weapons but now it has become clear that not only we are against such weapons but we seek a region free from WMD.” |
| Akrami said Iran would cooperate with the US on other regional issues only if Washington upholds Tehran’s interests. “It’s up to the Americans,” Akrami said. “If the US shows its goodwill in the region and respects our interests, then we can work with them, we don’t have any impediment. The only country with which we will never cooperate is Israel because it’s a bogus state and an oppressor.” He added: “We’ve never had a greedy approach in our region, we conquer by winning hearts.” | |
| Abulhassan Banisadr, Iran’s first post-revolution president | Abulhassan Banisadr, Iran’s first post-revolution president |
| Not all Iranians viewed the nuclear accord as a triumph for Iran. Abulhassan Banisadr, Iran’s first post-revolution president who now lives in exile, found himself in line with domestic hardliners by describing it as a defeat for the country. He said the deal was as bad as the 1828 treaty of Turkmenchay, under which Persia ceded to Russia the control of a number of areas in the south Caucasus. | |
| “This is only submission,” he said. “This is another moment of Iranian leaders drinking from the poisoned chalice, but they want to force-feed that to the people as a tasteful syrup,” he told the Guardian. “This is not a success, it’s an absolute surrender and defeat. They have given in our country to P5+1 countries. If they had completely shut down the entire nuclear programme it would have been better than accepting such measures. They are now giving the control of the country to the P5+1 countries, so how this can be a success?” | “This is only submission,” he said. “This is another moment of Iranian leaders drinking from the poisoned chalice, but they want to force-feed that to the people as a tasteful syrup,” he told the Guardian. “This is not a success, it’s an absolute surrender and defeat. They have given in our country to P5+1 countries. If they had completely shut down the entire nuclear programme it would have been better than accepting such measures. They are now giving the control of the country to the P5+1 countries, so how this can be a success?” |
| Elias Hazrati, managing director of the reformist Etemaad daily | Elias Hazrati, managing director of the reformist Etemaad daily |
| Elias Hazrati, the managing director of the reformist Etemaad newspaper, disagreed. “This deal is very important because it showed Iran was able in practice to conduct extensive talks with the world’s six major powers for a period of 22 months despite mutual mistrust for many years, and it was pragmatic,” he said. “All people were behind the negotiators, so were political groups and the supreme leader. Only a minority of people were opposed.” | Elias Hazrati, the managing director of the reformist Etemaad newspaper, disagreed. “This deal is very important because it showed Iran was able in practice to conduct extensive talks with the world’s six major powers for a period of 22 months despite mutual mistrust for many years, and it was pragmatic,” he said. “All people were behind the negotiators, so were political groups and the supreme leader. Only a minority of people were opposed.” |
| The agreement may prove a starting point for dialogue on other issues, including human rights and peace in the Middle East. “The west can benefit from Iran’s power in the region and Iran can benefit from the world and the deal showed that through dialogue we can go forward towards restoring peace. Unfortunately there is a lack of cooperation between Iran and other countries in the region so through reasonable dialogue we can stop regional threats such as Isis terrorists.” | |
| Hazrati agreed with the argument that the nuclear accord was even more important than the UN security council resolution that ended Iran-Iraq was in the 1980s. “This will have a greater impact in the Middle East and Europe than the end of war era. It might also lead to an opening in the domestic political atmosphere.” | |
| Additional reporting by Ian Black. Ian Black conducted the interview with Zibakalam in Tehran. The remaining six were conducted by Saeed Kamali Dehghan in London. |