Topic: U.S.-Iran Relations

Friday, 03/21/08

Interviewer:
Ali Goldoust
Department of Leadership Studies
University of San Francisco
doustcompan@yahoo.com

Ali Goldoust: Dr. Amirahmadi, I am basically looking at the issue of mistrust and its roots in the U.S.-Iran relations and the possibility to move beyond this stagnated paradigm of accusation and mutual demonization that the two states are in it. I follow your website a lot and know that you have been very busy in the last several years to find a way to mediate between the United States and Iran. You organize meetings and conferences, and give lectures, etc. Yet, the situation between the two countries is not very encouraging. I begin with this question: Why have the United States and Iran not been able to engage?

By William Luers, Thomas R. Pickering (of AIC board of directors), Jim Walsh

The recent National Intelligence Estimate's conclusion that Tehran stopped its efforts to develop nuclear weapons in 2003, together with the significant drop in Iranian activity in Iraq, has created favorable conditions for the US to hold direct talks with Iran on its nuclear program. The Bush administration should act on this opportunity, if for no other reason than that its current position is growing weaker, and without such an initiative, Iran will continue its efforts to produce nuclear fuel that might, in the future, be used to build nuclear weapons.

Currently, Iran has approximately three thousand centrifuges, which it has used to produce small test batches of uranium that has been enriched to a low level (which cannot be used for nuclear weapons). Until now, Iranian engineers have not successfully operated a centrifuge cascade (a collection of centrifuges working together) at full capacity--which, as a practical matter, would be needed to enrich nuclear fuel to the level necessary either to establish an effective nuclear energy program or to manufacture nuclear weapons. But the Iranian government has declared its ambition to build more than 50,000 centrifuges, and recent reports also suggest that Tehran is testing a modified "P-2" centrifuge, a more advanced version of its existing centrifuge technology, which can produce a larger volume of enriched uranium.

Barrages of rockets have recently been launched at the fortified "Green Zone" in Iraq. The green zone is the base of American troops in the country along with the headquarters for the current Iraqi government and US embassy. General David Petraeus, the most senior military office in Iraq, had stated that he believes that the rockets launched at the Green Zone in Iraq were Iranian made and supplied weaponry used by groups trained by the Iranian Qods Force, a branch of the Revolutionary Guard.

Petraeus accused the Iranian regime of violating promises made in the past to the Americans and Iraqis to prevent any attacks that could be contributed to certain Iranian elements. Iran has consistently denied any involvement and considers such accusations as pretexts designed to serve as pressure tactics against Iran. Meanwhile Iran has joined the US in Iraq, discussing ways they might utilize to enhance security in Iraq.