Reasons to pay closer attention to Iran's president

At a time when Iran's nuclear negotiations with world powers are a major topic in international news, you may wonder what exactly is going through the head of its president, Hassan Rouhani. A Michigan university educator had the chance to find out during a dinner reception in New York on Wednesday, the day before Rouhani addressed the United Nations.

Saeed Khan was part of a small group of religious leaders and academics from across the country who had the opportunity to ask questions of Rouhani and his foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif.

1) Iran's support for the Assad government in Syria is wavering.

During the question-and-answer session, Rouhani didn't deny Iran's historical support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, against whom the United States has backed opposition groups. At the same time, Khan said, he didn't declare support for the government, either.

What this indicates, he said, is that Iran sees the relationship with Assad as being conditional upon other, more important priorities, namely the ongoing nuclear negotiations.

2) In regard to American action in Iraq, silence is golden.

Iran hasn't roundly denounced U.S. intervention against the Islamic State militant group in Iraq, which shares a border with Iran. To expect praise would be unrealistic, Khan said, but "silence is in many ways just as good as an endorsement for American action there."

3) Iran could play a vital role in determining the region's stability.

In past remarks, Rouhani has tied the nuclear negotiations to Iran's cooperation in combating the Islamic State group.

Iran is already on the ground in Iraq fighting the extremist group to prevent it from further destabilizing the country or spreading to Iran, Khan said. Future action would likely entail Iran acting as a "circuit breaker" to ensure that Syria, with its sectarian divisions and the potential for a power vacuum if Assad is ousted, does not fall into further chaos, he said.

4) Iran would like for the nuclear talks to be successful, and soon.

Rouhani did not speak of the nuclear negotiations during the question-and-answer session, but the issue is paramount to Iran, Khan said. The two sides have set Nov. 24 as the deadline, and so far, not much progress appears to have been made, the sticking point being the capacity for uranium enrichment that Iran would be allowed to maintain.

The fact that the talks are still going, though, Khan said, is telling. He said Iran recognizes "a window of opportunity" before January 2017, when a new U.S. president takes office and might be resistant to maintaining the dialogue with Iran.

5) Iran represents a lucrative opportunity as a business partner.

A huge part of the nuclear negotiations is the removal of economic sanctions on Iran, which would open the country for business with the West. During the reception, Rouhani alluded to the upside of closer ties between Iran and the United States, saying the restoration of relationships would be beneficial to both countries, Khan said.

The potential for profit from doing business with Iran is "off the charts," Khan said. He gave an example of estimates that say Iran needs at least 900 commercial planes to keep up with its needs, which would be a plum contract for an American or European business to fulfill.

6) Under Rouhani's leadership, Iran and the United States could become closer.

Compared with his predecessor, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Rouhani's tone "is a paradigm shift," Khan said. "Here is someone who is very measured, very thoughtful and very much devoid of antagonism."

Both his administration and President Barack Obama's appear to be aware that this is a chance to re-establish a diplomatic relationship, which would quell other regional problems, Khan said. Those include the conflicts in Syria and Iraq that are based in sectarian divisions, part of the proxy wars staged between Iran and Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, as each tries to gain the upper hand in the Middle East.

If the relationship between the rivals can be made more equal, Khan said, the violence could potentially be reduced, and the United States wouldn't have to exert as much energy and resources addressing these conflicts.

PilotOnline.com