TEHRAN (Bazaar) –Nader Entessar, Professor Emeritus of Political Science from university of South Alabama says that it is difficult to provide an assessment of Japan's plan.
“Neither Japan nor Iran have detailed the contents of Japan's proposal. So, we do not know if Japan's plan contains any significant new ideas or if it is simply a rehashing of the old ones,” Entessar told Bazaar News Agency.
Following is the full text of the Bazaar interview with Professor Entessar:
Q: When Hossein Amirabdollahian visited Tokyo in August and met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and then with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, he received a proposal from the Japanese government regarding nuclear negotiations. What is your assessment of this plan?
A: It is difficult to provide an assessment of Japan's plan. Neither Japan nor Iran have detailed the contents of Japan's proposal. So, we do not know if Japan's plan contains any significant new ideas or if it is simply a rehashing of the old ones.
Q: Recently Ali Bagheri, Iran's nuclear negotiator, traveled to Tokyo. It seems that one of the subjects discussed by him was the Japan proposal. In August, Tokyo proposed a plan to resume and revive Iran's nuclear talks to Amir Abdollahian, and he also said that any plan from Japan that is in line with ‘Iran's interests’ would be considered positive. What is your assessment of this trip at this time?
A: It is likely that Ali Bagheri's most recent trip to Japan was related to some aspects of the Iran nuclear deal and frozen Iranian assets. We have to remember that Japan is simply one of the several diplomatic intermediaries who have tried to break the logjam in the Iran nuclear deal. Like all the intermediaries, the Japanese have limited room for maneuverability and innovation.
Q: It seems that this plan is to revive the 4+1 negotiations. In this case, what is your assessment of the success of this proposal?
A: This path has been traversed too many times. The 4+1 isn't going to amount to anything meaningful. The bait-and-switch record of the Europeans with respect to the Iran nuclear deal is a cautionary tale and reflects their inability or unwillingness to act independently from Washington's policy toward Iran.
Q: Some believe that reviving the 4+1 negotiations is not desirable for Iran. On the other hand, they consider the bilateral negotiations between Iran and the United States to be fruitful. What is your assessment?
A: As I have stated many times in my previous interviews, the Iran-US conflict cannot be resolved, or managed, through negotiating with 4+1. If the issues between the two main adversaries are to be addressed seriously, Tehran and Washington must engage in direct negotiations. This will be an arduous and bumpy process and requires very skillful Iranian negotiators who are not easily awed by the US posturing. Given the current state of US-Iran relations and the toxic atmosphere of America's domestic politics, it may not be feasible for the American side to engage in an honest negotiation with Iran at this time. Also, I am not sure if Tehran is willing, or ready, to entertain the idea of directly engaging with Washington. It is only through direct, frank, and open negotiations that Iran can ascertain if there is a pathway to normalize its relations with the US, or if Washington seeks Tehran's total capitulation in a global zero-sum game.
Q: When Japan's plan was presented in August, the spokesperson of the US State Department said: “I am not particularly aware of this initiative. I do not know what these statements refer to. As we have said before, diplomacy is the best way to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. There has been no change in this position.” Despite this comment, it does not seem that this plan is without coordination with America. What is your assessment?
A: Yes, in matters of his nature, Toyo does not act on its own without coordinating its approach toward Iran with Washington. Japan, just like the Europeans, is not an independent player in matters dealing with US-Iran relations and many other related issues.
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