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Iran's new president, Pezeshiziyan, recently sent an unusual signal to the United Nations General Assembly: to convey to the world that Iran wants to reintegrate into the international community, he made it clear that he is willing to resume nuclear negotiations to seek a way to lift sanctions, and solemnly stated that Iran will never provide Russia with missiles or other weapons.
Iran President Pezekhitsian
Iran has long been regarded as a "troublemaker" by the West, especially on the nuclear issue and relations with Russia, and now Iran's leaders have taken the initiative to release goodwill and try to reshape the country's image There must be deep considerations behind it. Iran has a long-standing feud with the West, the United States and Britain jointly planned a coup d'état in the 50s of the last century, overthrew Iran's democratically elected government, and completely broke down relations between the two countries after the outbreak of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and sanctions and confrontation became the main theme in the following decades.
After long negotiations, Iran and United States and other countries finally reached a nuclear deal in 2015, but after Trump took office in 2018, he unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and imposed "maximum pressure" on Iran, Iran's economy suffered heavy damage, people's livelihood withered, and social contradictions intensified.
It is against this backdrop that Pezeshchisyan, who was elected president in 2023, began his presidency by signaling reform and emphasizing the need to reduce tensions with the West through dialogue, a shift that is both practical and strategic.
Flag of Iran and flag of United States
Undoubtedly, economic pressure is the main driving force, and long-term sanctions have brought Iran's economy to the brink of collapse, with inflation reaching more than 50%, people's lives are miserable, and social discontent is high, improving people's livelihood and stabilizing the situation have become a top priority.
Changes in the regional situation are also important factors, in recent years, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have become closer to Israel, Iran is at risk of isolation, and Russia's performance in the Ukraine war has also made Iran lose confidence in this "ally".
In addition, the power of reformers in Iran cannot be ignored, they advocate dialogue with the West to improve relations, Supreme Leader Khamenei, although he has always been tough, but also aware of the need for reform, acquiesced to Pezeshizizyan's new diplomatic line, Iran's change in posture is still unknown, United States as a key player its attitude will directly affect the success or failure of Iran's new foreign policy.
Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
As the current situation is concerned, United States the complex domestic political situation, the two parties have differences in their policies on Iran, the Democratic Party is inclined to resolve the differences through diplomatic means, and the Republicans advocate continued pressure, and with the 2024 United States election approaching Iran the issue may become one of the focus of the campaign, this uncertainty undoubtedly brings challenges to Iran.
Iran's relationship with the United States has been a bumpy affair, and the two countries were close allies in the 70s, when Iran's Shah Pahlavi was regarded by the United States as the "gendarme of the Middle East" and received massive military aid, and the Islamic Revolution in 1979 completely changed the situation.
In November 1979, Iran students seized the United States Embassy in Tehran and held 52 United States hostages for 444 days, an event known as the "Iran Hostage Crisis" and a turning point in relations between the two countries.
Hostages in the Iran hostage crisis
In the decades that followed, US-Iran relations continued to deteriorate, Iran was United States as a "state sponsor of terrorism" and subjected to multiple rounds of sanctions, and the differences between the two sides on the nuclear issue and regional conflicts became more and more acute, until the Obama administration reached a nuclear deal with Iran in 2015, and the relationship between the two sides officially took a turn for the better.
However, the good times did not last long, in 2018, the Trump administration withdrew from the nuclear deal and restarted sanctions, Iran's economy suffered a heavy blow, oil exports plummeted, inflation soared, people's living standards fell sharply, social contradictions intensified, and the "headscarf protests" movement that broke out at the end of 2022 is a concentrated outbreak of public resentment.
Faced with such a difficult situation, the Iran leadership has to reconsider its foreign policy, and Pezeshiziyan's goodwill this time is both a forced and an active act, and he hopes to relieve internal pressure for Iran's economic "blood transfusion" by improving relations with the West.
Iran President Pezekhitsian
But the road is also full of bumps, first of all, the United States' distrust of Iran has a long history. From the nuclear issue to the human rights issue to regional security, the differences between the two sides are still serious, and secondly, Israel and other regional countries are wary of Iran. For many years, Iran has supported Hamas, Allah and other organizations, and has been in a state of hostility with Israel.
Conservatives in Iran cannot ignore resistance, fearing that engagement with the West would threaten the gains of the Islamic revolution and weaken Iran's regional influence, so Pezekhitsian must follow a tightrope path in pursuing a new policy.
And the most noteworthy point is that the relationship between Iran and Russia is also facing adjustment, the two countries have long been consistent in their anti-American stance and supported each other on regional issues such as Syria, but as Russia is mired in the war in Ukraine, Iran has begun to reconsider this "ally" relationship.
Pezeshchiyan's public statement that he will not provide weapons to Russia is a clear signal that Iran hopes to show the West that it is not a vassal of Russia, but an independent regional power, a gesture that is conducive to improving relations with the West and helping to enhance Iran's position in the international arena.
If the adjustment of Iran-Russia relations is not handled properly, it may lose Russia, an important ally, and at the same time lose the trust of the West, which requires the Iran leadership to be more flexible and prudent in diplomacy, both to make a position clear and to leave room for it.
In recent years, under the pressure of United States sanctions, Iran and China have become closer and closer, and in 2021 the two countries signed a 25-year comprehensive cooperation agreement, covering energy, infrastructure, military and other fields.
This strategic cooperation has brought valuable economic and diplomatic support to Iran, and the over-reliance on China has also raised concerns at home and abroad, with some Iranians fearing that this could lead the country into new dependency relationships, while Western countries are wary of China's expansion of influence in the Middle East through Iran, so Iran-China relations are also one of the issues that United States must consider.
In recent years, Iran society, especially the younger generation, has become increasingly vocal about political and social reforms, eager for more freedom, a more open social environment, and better economic opportunities.
The "hijab protests" that erupted in 2022 epitomized this demand, and despite the government's tough measures to quell the protests, the fundamental issues have not been resolved, and how to respond to the people's demands and push forward with the necessary reforms without shaking the foundations of the existing political system is another major challenge facing the Peześcičiyang government.
Tehran, the capital of Iran
For a long time, Iran has expanded its influence in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and other countries by supporting Shiite armed groups, which has strengthened Iran's regional influence, but also intensified the confrontation with Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia and triggered regional instability.
Now that the process of normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel is progressing, the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East is undergoing subtle changes, and how Iran can cope with this change and how to contribute to regional peace and stability while safeguarding its own interests is an issue that the Pezeshizinian government needs to seriously consider.
It can be said that Iran is standing at a historical crossroads, and the new direction of Pezeshiczyan's government's diplomacy is both a strategy to deal with the current difficulties and an attempt to find a way out for the country's future development, which is full of challenges but also opportunities.
Pezeshitsyan
Whether Iran can successfully return to the international arena in the future depends not only on its own policy adjustment and reform determination, but also on the response of the international community, especially Western countries, if the two sides can build mutual trust and gradually resolve differences, then Iran is expected to get out of the predicament and become an important force for regional stability and prosperity again.
Decades of confrontation and mistrust are unlikely to be resolved in the short term, and all parties need to be patient and adopt a gradual approach to gradually resolve differences and establish new cooperative relations through sustained dialogue and interaction.
Iran's transformation is not only related to the future of the country, but will also have a profound impact on the entire Middle East and the global landscape, and if Iran can successfully integrate into the international community, it will not only help ease regional tensions, but also may provide new ideas and models for solving other international hotspot issues.
Pezeshitsyan
Iran needs to show sufficient flexibility and a spirit of compromise while adhering to its core interests and values, and Western countries need to put aside their preconceptions and look at changes in Iran with the necessary support and encouragement in an open and inclusive manner.
Transparency and predictability in this process are crucial, and Iran needs to demonstrate its sincerity through concrete actions, such as being more open on the nuclear issue, allowing the IAEA to conduct comprehensive inspections, and being more responsible in regional affairs to work to mitigate regional conflicts.
It is worth noting that Iran's transformation may also trigger a readjustment of the regional power structure, and countries such as Saudi Arabia and Israel need to reassess their policies towards Iran and may seek to establish some form of dialogue mechanism with Iran, and this interaction and balance in the region will help form a more stable Middle East order.
Pezeshitsyan
We should not ignore the forces for change in Iran, where the younger generation of Iranians aspire to connect with the world and pursue a more open and liberal society, and they are important forces for national change, and the international community should support such demands for change, but avoid direct intervention in Iran's internal affairs to avoid backlash.
Iran's new direction of diplomacy opens a hopeful but challenging new chapter for this ancient civilization, and its success will not only affect the well-being of more than 40 million Iranians, but will also profoundly affect the international order of the 21st century.
No matter what methods Iran uses to seek peace, we cannot deny everything he has done for the people, but I believe everyone must have different views on their "falling into the well" approach, welcome to leave a message in the comment area to discuss.
Resources:
Military intelligence writer Chen Xi2024-09-24Treat Russia as a vote? Iran wants to distance ties with Russia, and the president will go to New York to reassure United States
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