Iran and the US are making peace. AMA, former Iranian presidential candidate Hooshang Amirahmadi

You say the US and Iran are making peace. Could you please elaborate a little. For example, the Syria connection, the Palestinian issue, the likelihood of sanctions being addressed and when, and so forth.

Iran and the US have been in conflict for over 34 years. Any hope for a resolution of the conflict needs to be cautiously raised. The road ahead is bumpy, but from my standpoint both sides have no better option but to reduce tension in the short term and hopefully normalize relations in the long term.

The main issue is uranium enrichment. If Iran and the US could reach an agreement that would make the Americans confident that Iran is not working toward building a bomb, then it is possible that a deal could be reached. If a deal is reached on the nuclear issue, then the road toward a better relationship will surely be paved. I don’t believe the Syrian or Palestinian issue make a major impact on this process. Iran is not prepared to support the Assad government to the end. It will at some point abandon him. On the Palestinians, strangely, the US, Israel and Iran now have the same view and that is that the solution to Iran’s nuclear dispute should precede any resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

As far as the sanctions go, I don’t believe that they will be lifted in the short run. The deal will be to lift them in stages as the disputants reach agreements incrementally.

Hello. I remember you from Rutgers University, when I worked in the library. You were always smiling.

When do you think the Assad government will be abandoned? What will replace it?

I believe no more than a year. The Iranian government is disappointed with him, particularly after the use of the chemical weapons. The US policy is first to disarm Assad, then use force to overthrow it. The US and its allies, even Iran, are now thinking of forming a coalition among the more moderate opposition leaders, as well as forces from the Assad side, minus Assad, to form the next government.

What do you see as your role?

Sadly, I don't think it will be a peaceful exit for Assad. How do you envision the coalition taking power from Assad? Will he be exiled?

As far as my role goes, as a peacemaker, I will continue to have America and Iran come together and have both sides find a peaceful solution to the Syrian tragedy. The role of Russia will be most important in the formation of any coalition government, and therefore must be included in any discussion. I believe Assad could to go into exile in Russia, but his wife is more of a western person, and I do not know what she is going to do. Assad may be able to convince Britain to give a safe haven, where his wife is currently residing.

is iran making nuclear weapons?

I do not think so, not at the moment. But if a deal is not reached between US and Iran, and Iran comes under more pressure and threat then the revolutionary forces will be take a more dominant position and could lead the nuclear program for military use.

What do you see Iran's role in the Middle East becoming in the next ten years?

With Iraq out of the picture, and Syria pretty much as well, Iran seems to have the potential to become the strongman in the region.

Am I wrong or does Iran really not have the abilty or the urge to do so?

What is Iran's true attitude towards Isreal, and is there any chance that Iran could take a more active role in building stability and an honest commitment to human rights in a region where there is still very little more than token respect paid to them?

What will become of Iran in the next ten years will depend on what will happen to its relationship with the US, which will depend on the possible nuclear deal. If the US and Iran were to resolve this dispute, and if Iran and Israel can reduce tension, then Iran surely will become a major regional power, alongside Israel.

Iran surely has the ability and the potential to become a regional power. It has tremendous resources, intelligent people, large population, huge geography, and a strategic position between the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.

The conflict between Iran and Israel has no permanent basis. The two countries have no historical problems, have no territorial disputes, and have no religious differences. Thier conflict is based on ideology, specifically the Islamic Revolution, and geopolitical rivalry. While this latter factor is a common factor of disagreement among nations, the first is accidental to inter-state relations, and it often disappears in the course of time. So, given time the dispute between Iran and Israel will reduce to geopolitical rivalry and can be managed as with other inter-state conflict.

To the best of my knowledge, the Islamic Republic is not as yet prepared to take a leadership role in the Middle East on the human rights issue. Indeed, the Republic itself has many of the same human rights problems that the region suffers from.

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Rouhani is a mullah, first off. You certainly are right that the Islamic Republic hopes to maintain a no war, no peace status quo. However, this status quo is unsustainable. As we move into the near future, the Republic must decide between peace and war. Because Iran cannot fight the US, peace is the only option that one can think of. In the negotiations ahead, the Islamic Republic’s strategy will be to reduce tension by making compromises on the nuclear issue. This way it hopes to maintain status quo of no war-no peace, and to get some sanction relief.

What sort of likely hood do you think will be reached between the two countries, it seems distrust is a very big thing between the two, and several political careers, have been made building this distrust.

Do you think that both the Revolutionary Guard, and the various american political powers, will allow a peace to stand for more then 4 years, or try to undermine it in every-way, or try to overthrow the current government ?

It is possible that the two sides might reach an agreement over the nuclear issue. However, implementation at the stage there will be problems. This is because there is very little trust between the two nations. If disputes over implementation becomes unresolvable, then the whole deal will fall apart. One thing I know for fact is that the Islamic Republic is determined to give the US a deal that it cannot resist. I must add, however, that the nuclear dispute has other parties including Israel. Israel demands that that the Islamic Republic dismantle all its nuclear facility, a demand that never accept. So, if the US is not able to convince Israel to go along, then there will be no deal. In which case the conflict will continue, leading to more sanctions and potentially war and destruction. I must also add that besides Israel, that there are other forces who are opposing the current rapprochement between US and Iran, including the Revolutionary Guard, and other revolutionary religious people in Iran, as well as certain Arab

Israel has already said they will make sure Iran does not have access, even if they have to do it alone. Are you sure that the US cannot come to a deal , without Israel, the two countries, have grown apart over recent issues.

Israel cannot take military action against Iran as long as the United States is opposed to it. On the other hand, why the US may be able to reach a deal with Iran against the Israeli will, it will have a hard time to implement it if Israel were to sabotage it. I think it is in the best interest of the US and Iran that Israel be included in any deal between the two countries. Any part of excluding Israel from such a process will be disastrous.

Do you have a favorite color? If so what is it?

The color of peace

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