Iran had the guts to stand up to a hegemon

The Association for Welfare Community and Dialogue welcomes the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the current war in West Asia.

While we welcome the MoU, there is also scepticism about the commitment level especially on the US side. Influential Zionist-sympathetic leaders in the current US administration think that strangling Iran’s economy and exerting military power is the only way to make Tehran back down.

For any peace to materialise over the next 60 days, the sincerity and commitment of the parties concerned is required. Hopefully, the United States and Iran will work towards mutual trust instead of suspicion, and in turn create a peaceful West Asia.

Israel’s aggression in Lebanon and Gaza must stop. The sovereignty of Lebanon should be respected. Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands should end. Only in this way can a durable and lasting peace be secured.

Look at the 14-point agreement closely, and one thing is clear. Washington’s strategy of forcing the Iranian government to surrender through bombing has failed.

The deal also clearly reveals something else. Domestic opposition from the majority of the American people and global economic pressure, mostly from the Gulf states, have forced US President Donald Trump towards a peace strategy.

The US demand that Iran should not have nuclear weapons rests on a false premise. Iran has made it clear from the start it has no intention of producing nuclear weapons. Besides, it is also a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, having signed it in 1968 and ratified it in 1970 as a non-nuclear-weapon state.

Ironically, the injustice inflicted on Iran over decades is clearly seen through two salient aspects of the 14-point agreement.

Sovereignty:The US and Iran undertake to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs. This particular point is pertinent for Iran, as it has suffered much from Western interference and hypocritical double standards.

Lifting of sanctions: The US undertakes to terminate all types of sanctions against Iran. This includes UN Security Council resolutions, International Atomic Energy Agency board of governors’ resolutions, and all unilateral US sanctions, primary and secondary, on an agreed schedule as part of the final deal. Iran and the US acknowledge the critical importance of this issue and have agreed to address it without delay.

The suffocation of Iran due to the decades-long economic strangulation is finally being addressed. This should be the way forward for the common good of the Iranian people and the pathway to real peace. It would also help in building shared prosperity across West Asia.

Reading the agreement, one conclusion is obvious. The US could have negotiated with Iran earlier on these 14 points before attacking it. Had it done so, the Strait of Hormuz would have stayed open and the global economy would not have gone into a tailspin.

Sadly, the US president followed the lead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in going to war with Iran. It was a catastrophic decision, made without an exit strategy.

There are lessons to be learnt from the episode. Iran, as a sovereign nation, had the guts to confront a hegemon and not let it get away without paying a heavy price, especially through the Hormuz closure. This response derailed the US economy and the economies of the Gulf states, compelling its leaders to persuade Trump to end the war. 

It is time for nations who value their independence and sovereignty to collectively stand up against imperial powers. They must ensure that global politics respects international law. Diplomacy and dialogue, not force, should be the way to resolve disputes. 

A win-win solution should always be the goal in resolving international disputes.

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