A guide on how not to sell the Iran deal

At a crucial moment for the region, the Ayatollah’s words struck the wrong tone

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers his sermon during the Eid al-Fitr prayer at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in Tehran. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader / AP Photo.

Well, that didn’t last long. The brief diplomatic detente that followed the announcement last week of a deal between Iran and the P5+1 has given way to more forceful language. Shortly after the deal was announced, the presidents of Iran and America appeared on television to try to explain to their publics why each had been victorious. Other countries also sought to be optimistic – including the UAE; the President, Sheikh Khalifa, sent a cable of congratulations to Iran’s Hassan Rouhani.

Now, days later, cracks seem to be appearing. The US has dispatched its defence secretary, Ashton Carter, to the Middle East to try to sell the deal. His first stop last night was Israel, followed by Saudi Arabia and Jordan. All are concerned about what the nuclear deal will mean for their security – Jordan in particular is already feeling the effects of Iran’s meddling through the collapse of its neighbours Syria and Iraq.

A sensitive moment, then, but it is precisely the one in which Iran’s supreme leader has chosen to make a provocative speech. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has pledged continued support for the Syrian regime and said that nothing had changed in his country’s relationship with the United States.

That was precisely what the Middle East did not need to hear. His speech struck the wrong tone at the wrong time. The Middle East has been upended by Iran’s meddling – in Syria, in Iraq and in Yemen. And the Gulf, the safest and most prosperous part of the region, has looked on with deep misgivings about Iran’s behaviour. It is unsettling then, to hear such language, which implies that Iran feels no change is needed in its relationship with its neighbours.

Much of what Ayatollah Khamenei said was, of course, for a domestic audience. Iran’s political leaders, like those of America, have still to sell the deal to their own constituencies. Not everyone in Iran is ecstatic about this deal and it is likely that the Ayatollah intended his words to be heard primarily by them.

As we have written before, the Arab world will judge Iran by its actions, not its words, whether they are conciliatory or belligerent. Yet it shows a surprising tone-deafness on the part of Ayatollah that he chose this moment to intervene. The agreement over Iran’s nuclear programme is far from a done deal. Until it is, Iran should seek to build bridges and explain its position, not send tough, unconciliatory messages.