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New, fresh air for Iran

The nuclear deal has created a wave of hope and joy among many Iranians, who have paid a high price while waiting for it.




(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)

Of: Najmeh Mohammadkhani

The 23. July 2015 a national conference was organized in Tehran by NGOs working on health issues. There came a young girl with a lung disease that means she has to use a breathing apparatus, up on stage. She took off the oxygen mask and plague while addressing Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, and Aliakber Salhi, the leader of the Atomic Energy Organization, who were both present: “Dr. Zarif, Dr. Salehi and Dr. Rohani, thank you for giving new hope to me and other patients through your efforts to lift the sanctions against Iran. The health reform plan means a lot to all patients, and to me it means oxygen, it means treatment, and it means life. ”

Hope and joy. What will happen right after the nuclear agreement is signed is not so easy to say, but lifting the sanctions on the health sector will provide much better access to medicines and medical equipment, and mean a better life for a multitude of people. The nuclear deal has created a wave of hope and joy in many Iranian families, who have paid a high price while waiting for it. Alongside the economic costs, the effects of the sanctions have been noticeable to the population in a number of areas of life. The Iranians took to the streets to show joy and agreement to the deal immediately after the news of consensus was published.
Abdullah Naseri is a reformist and works at the Faculty of History and Islamic Culture and Civilization at Al-Zahra University. When he saw the Iranians celebrating the deal, he stated in an interview with Sharq newspaper on July 19, 2015: “The Iranians are reacting emotionally to various issues. First, they are like other people around the world, they are anxious for the effects of sanctions and the tensions they create, while having experienced these effects in their own daily lives. Secondly, the Iranians experience joy in positive events such as the nuclear deal, and they would like to release some of the pent-up energy they carry – as they show their joy right now. All of this shows that the nuclear deal is a big deal for Iran and for the world. Otherwise, the Swedish Foreign Minister would not have stated that this year it is easier to pick out the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. ”
Later, Naseri added: "I am very optimistic about the process that has been going on between Iran and the world's great powers, and do not think that any adverse events will affect the implementation of the agreement. I think everything will go forward on the basis of it – to go back to the deal now is simply impossible, considering the enormous burden of negotiations and commitments that lie behind it. In the next half of this year, we will experience the tenth parliamentary elections, in which all the political parties will participate. I believe that the reformists in particular will do well, precisely because of the nuclear agreement, which is by far their merit. At the same time, the 'anxious hearts' [group 'Del-Wapasan', which can be translated into 'anxious hearts', ed. tried to convince his opponents that the agreement would be canceled. Then we'll see what becomes their next target. "

Iran will change from being an isolated country to becoming an attractive tourist destination.

After the sanctions. Many Iranians are also against the nuclear deal. The aforementioned group "Anxious Hearts", mainly associated with the Conservative Party, will not tolerate such an agreement as they oppose any negotiation with the United States – the country they refer to as "The Great Satan." Iran's president, foreign minister, negotiating team and all university teachers and others interested in the country's development and progress are trying to get all Iranians united to build an "Iran after the sanctions". The nuclear deal should be a national and not a party political issue. But politicians and others who feel part of the reformist party are more optimistic about the deal than many others. Since the agreement was adopted, interviews have been published daily in the press with various reformists working in many different areas. With Javad Etaat, for example, who is a reformist, a member of the National Trust Party1 and a professor of political science at Shahid Baheshti University. In an interview with the Sahrq newspaper on July 14, 2015, about the agreement and Iran following the sanctions, he said: “The nuclear deal itself does not solve our problems. The government must plan ahead for the sanctions. The ministries concerned must implement the necessary measures. We must attract foreign investors, start a thriving tourism industry and regain oil and gas production. At the same time, people must be made aware that in the short term, the nuclear agreement will have no immediate impact on their lives. It is important not to raise too high expectations – then the country will experience a crisis of expectations. The negotiations provided Iran with international and regional credibility. The agreement could remove the main obstacle to development, namely the sanctions, and the human, natural and geographical resources could make Iran a major power in the region. ”

Against Turkey. It is obvious that with the strategic importance Iran has in the region, an Iranian after the sanctions are lifted will certainly change the region's face. The fight against terrorism, which involves more than tolerating this agreement, will be a new narrative with the "new Iran". The region's center of gravity for tourism will turn in the direction of Iran. Turkey will lose much of its current position. Iran will change from being an isolated country to becoming an attractive tourist destination. As Ahmad Naghibzadeh, a moderate reformist and professor of political science at the University of Tehran, wrote in the Nazar News July 15, 2015, about the nuclear deal: "A South Korean diplomat said that if Muammar Gadaffi had not entered into negotiations with the West, he would still have in power. That's true, but at what cost would he do it? The reason it went the way it did with Gadaffi was not that he negotiated with the West, but that he regarded negotiations as an isolated act. In order for Iran not to suffer the same fate, they must meet the demands of the international community and play an active role in international institutions with their experienced diplomats. Iran must also take some drastic measures and pay more attention to human rights internally and negotiate with Saudi Arabia regionally. With such a change, Iran was able to salvage Bashar Al-Assad and maintain its influence in Syria and Yemen. The danger of war and sanctions has been removed and, as I said, Iran must adhere to and respect the expectations of others. And before any important action is taken, it should be negotiated with other countries involved in the cases in question. The Soviet Union after the Cuba crisis and US negotiations were not the same as the USSR, and China after negotiations with the United States was not China from the Mao era. If unanimity had not been reached, Iran would have had only two ways to go: to North Korea or Iraq. Now it could be Turkey, which will provide ten times as many opportunities. In the age of globalization, you have no choice but to eat at the same table as others. There is no way back either. In one year we will see if Islamic Iran has a correct idea of ​​the way to go or not. ”

Exceptionally. Many Iranians and reformists who appreciate having diplomatic relations with the great powers view the deal as a historic and unique step forward. At the same time, Iran's independence is a very sensitive issue for these people. Sirous Naser, the former nuclear negotiator, said in an interview with Sharq on July 25, 2015: “Our big win was that we managed to persuade them to accept our right to enrichment. For many years, the United States could not accept this, but they eventually gave up. It was a bit of a retreat for the US, and a very big achievement for Iran. An exceptional success. Not even South Korea, the United States' ally, has this right. They must negotiate with the United States on a case-by-case basis. And Australia has only the right to operate with enrichment in laboratories. What happened to Iran is really an exception. For a country like ours, which has been at the forefront of US injustice in the region and in the world, full acceptance of the enrichment program was not expected. The Iranian people have paid a high price to achieve this result, and the efforts of the dealers have been invaluable. ”

Last but not least, the world's eyes are now on Iran. This is due to both the country's political and economic changes that will have a direct impact on the region and international rivals, as well as the internal changes and increased power of the reformist party that can be expected in the tenth parliamentary and next presidential elections. Iran expects much of the changes that will come, regionally and internationally. We'll see.

1 Iranian political party with a reformist and populist profile, formed in 2005 by former parliament president Mehdi Karroubi.


Mohammadkhani is a correspondent for Ny Tid.

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