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Powerful Iran can be beneficial for West

Nuclear Program Materials 18 July 2015 17:59 (UTC +04:00)
Powerful Iran in the region can be beneficial for the West in the future in terms of interests, Davod Hermidas Bavand,
Powerful Iran can be beneficial for West

Baku, Azerbaijan, July 18

By Umid Niayesh - Trend:

Powerful Iran in the region can be beneficial for the West in the future in terms of interests, Davod Hermidas Bavand, international relations and law analyst and university professor in Tehran told Trend July 18.

Russia tries to boost its influence in the region within its new "Look East" policy, the expert said, adding Russia shares certain interests with China - which is boosting its power as well- and they are both connected to a certain security organization of growing importance called the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

"India, the other Asian country with growing power has recently joined the SCO. Iran's location in the region between these three powers gives it a unique importance," Bavand said.

The future interests of the West require that Iran should have a special power in the region, be a powerful buffer between these three countries and have close ties with the West as well, he explained.

He further said that the regional developments can form the policies of the countries different from their initial stance.

Many US experts say that the only country in the region which can be counted on in terms of interests in the future is Iran, Bavand added.

"The UK's Victorian statesman Lord Palmerston has a famous statement that the UK has no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests."

Cooperation even between the countries which suffer conflict is not rare in the history and coincidence of interests can form some kind of de facto cooperation, Bavand stressed.

National interests form and dictate the policies of the countries towards other countries, he said, adding moving towards improving the mutual relations is inevitable for Iran and the US in the future.

The nuclear agreement is a result of coincidence of interests between Iran and West as well and will lead the sides to resolve their other problems, he underlined.

It will also push other regional countries to revise their policies towards Iran, the expert said.

"Resolving the nuclear dispute has prepared ground for de facto cooperation of Iran and the US in the region."

For instance, Iran and the US have joint interests in fighting the IS ("Islamic State") and radical groups, the expert explained.

Looking back to 2001, after 11 September attacks in the US, the only country in the region which benefited from this was Iran and de facto cooperation between Tehran and Washington was established in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Iran and the P5+1 (US, Russia, China, France, UK, and Germany) reached a comprehensive nuclear agreement on July 14, after several months of talks, curbing Iran 's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of most international sanctions.

Senior Iranian officials including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has announced that the Islamic Republic is "prepared to open new horizons to address the shared challenges of far greater magnitude" after achieving an agreement over the nuclear disputes.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @UmidNiayesh

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