A Speed-up in Nuclear Talks: New Iranian Strategy

Mahdi Shapouri

A glance at recent statements of the Iranian officials indicates the necessity of a speed up to reach final agreement in nuclear talks, while in the past they used to emphasize on a steady pace of the talks.
It seems that President Rouhani’s government view on the current affairs in the country and trend of the nuclear talks are two new important variables impacting Iran’s calculations and shift of its approach about the pace of the talks. Probably a comprehensive understanding by the government, comprised of experienced and pragmatist politicians, has led to the conclusion that it would not be possible to solve basic and numerous problems of the country without tackling the nuclear issue.
Many of the existing problems in the country are linked to the nuclear issue, and without resolving this problem, one cannot expect a fundamental solution. That is, in solving all problems of the country, the first to be tackled is the nuclear issue and then, it would be possible to focus on and solve others.
Another cause of the above said shift could be Iran’s hesitation about the US intentions, especially after them victory of Republicans in the recent Congress election.
Regarding the nuclear issue, neither Iran can surrender like Libya nor can it opt for isolation as North Korea did, since both options will have high costs. Of course, over the time, Iran has to opt for one of them, however, none will be in favor of the country.