The logic of diplomacy is driving these two great enemies towards a most unlikely entente
John Kerry meets with EU High
Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton and Iranian Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the Iran Nuclear talks in Geneva,
Switzerland. Photo: JASON REED/AP
8:54PM GMT 10 Nov 2013
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An ear-bashing from Benjamin Netanyahu in the morning; an intense but
convivial five hours with Iran’s foreign minister in the evening. All in
all, it was an unusual Friday for John Kerry, as his quest to break the
deadlock over Iran’s nuclear ambitions came tantalisingly close to
succeeding.
In Geneva, Mr Kerry spent more face time with an emissary of America’s leading
enemy than any secretary of state for 34 years; in Israel, he felt the fury
of Washington’s best friend in the Middle East. As it happened, the deal on
Iran’s nuclear programme which Mr Netanyahu pre-emptively condemned with
such vehemence was never actually signed. But it could well be when talks
resume next Wednesday. After countless false starts, a decade of diplomatic
effort, designed to defuse the world’s most dangerous running crisis,
appears to be reaching its climax.
As the vital moment draws near, two issues lie behind every calculation.
First, there are the “facts on the ground” created by the advance of Iran’s
nuclear programme, which could give the Islamic Republic’s leaders the
option of building the ultimate weapon. Then there is the stark question:
which side needs a deal more?
Mr Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, were not trying to
settle everything in Geneva; rather, they were striving to reach a “first
step agreement”, which would have frozen Iran’s nuclear programme in return
for some easing of Western sanctions. The aim was to buy time for a
comprehensive agreement later on.
Most of all, Mr Kerry wanted to stop Iran’s nuclear advance in its tracks. His
opposite number knew this quite well – indeed, perhaps nobody understands
nuclear-tipped diplomacy better than Mr Zarif. This impeccably mannered,
razor-sharp envoy spent his formative years in America, studying at San
Francisco State University and taking a doctorate in international law from
Denver University. Both of his children were born in America, making them US
citizens by birth. His perfect English has a slight American drawl
