Iran’s leadership has once again equivocated after agreeing to a deal that would ease its nuclear standoff with the West. But this time, that may be as much a product of the nation’s smoldering political crisis as it is a negotiating tactic, political analysts and Iran experts said.
Tehran has yet to state publicly why it objects to the deal … But Iran experts say the very caustic, and very public, nature of the debate in Iran over the proposed nuclear deal suggests that the deep divisions cemented by the summer’s disputed presidential election have complicated, if not undermined, the ability to resolve such a major issue. …
At the center of Iran’s problems is President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who said recently that Iran should accept the deal. … Mr. Ahmadinejad, however, deeply alienated both reformist and conservative political leaders since his disputed re-election as he tried to consolidate power and marginalize his rivals. Neither side is eager to see him and his nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, take credit for resolving the nuclear issue and, with that, thawing relations with the United States, the analysts said. Access the full article>>
