The presidents’ call for cooperation on the question of how to jointly address Iran’s nuclear ambitions is also a positive step. The London statement included a number of initiatives in this vein, including a demand that Iran cooperate fully with resolutions passed by the U.N. Security Council and the IAEA, and support for ensuring that all states ratify the IAEA additional protocol. The language was tougher than what Russia has agreed to in the past.
The administration should continue these efforts to make Russia a partner on the Iran issue, since Moscow could play an important role in its resolution. But policymakers must be aware that this process will be difficult because some factions in the Russian government believe that a U.S.-Iran rapprochement is not in Russia’s interests and others continue to disagree with the U.S. threat assessment.
Even if Russia does cooperate, historical mistrust between Moscow and Tehran combined with Russia’s relatively weak economic leverage—its trade and investments in Iran are dwarfed by France and Germany’s—may limit its ability to change Iranian calculations and convince it to return to the negotiating table. Nevertheless, the United States should move forward with the objectives contained in the London statement and encourage Russia to use its influence to the greatest extent possible. Access the full article>>
