Iran nuclear talks extension could be good news

Any agreement could pave the way to a normalisation of relations with Tehran, which would have positive implications for this region.

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif with US Secretary of State John Kerry discuss Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Jim Bourg / Reuters

At first glance, it might seem like cause for concern that US president Barack Obama has indicated a willingness to extend talks over Iran’s nuclear programme beyond the deadline originally set for Sunday. In a statement issued by the White House on Wednesday, he said: “There are still significant gaps between the international community and Iran and we have more work to do.”

It has been presumed that Mr Obama – who is already pondering his legacy after he leaves office and is anxious to see Democrats do well in the US midterm elections in November – wants an agreement signed soon. The P5+1 talks have been bogged-down over exactly what level of uranium-enrichment capacity Iran requires. In the past few days, this issue has been clouded by a statement from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, that seemed to demand 10 times the capacity the country now has – casting doubt over Iran’s claim that its ambitions are limited to the generation of electricity.

As the UAE knows well, negotiating with Iran is not an easy business. This country has long demanded that Tehran submit to international arbitration over the ownership of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs islands.

That dispute began in November 1971, when Iran seized control of the islands just days before the UAE was created, and there is no imminent sign of settlement. Clearly, negotiations over the nuclear programme cannot be allowed to drag on for that long, but they are also far too important to be hurried.

It is already progress for Iran to come to the table on this issue, and it is necessary for all parties to perform due diligence on any agreement before it is signed.

While nobody should be offering Iran a free rein in negotiations, neither should the US and its allies be rushing to impose further sanctions on the Islamic Republic, as some members of US Congress have called for. Any agreement over the nuclear programme could eventually pave the way to a normalisation of relations with Iran, which would have positive security and economic implications for this region. If and when the decision to extend the talks is made, Iran’s neighbours will certainly be looking on with great interest.