Zarif-Obama Handshake: A Natural Occurrence

The incidental encounter between US President Barack Obama and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has raised a wave of reactions among extremist media. An example of these reactions could be the Student Basij’s letter to Zarif stating, “Has the unfair approach of the US toward Iran been changed that you now chitchat with Obama?”

Such reactions raise the question of whether these kinds of visits between the two countries with deep-rooted conflicts are normal.

Iran and the United States have been negotiating over the Iranian nuclear program for more than two years. During this time, the presidents of the two countries spoke on the phone which I believe helped the negotiation trend move forward. On top of that, it is Zarif’s responsibility to negotiate with the foreign ministers of other countries to solve problems mainly derived from foreign policy. Now, the critics should be asked whether Iran’s foreign minister meeting the US president creates any problems for the country or rather solves some. Previous experiences show that these meetings could settle some issues since these types of meetings have solved problems created by the former government. Iran’s main problem in foreign policy is the issue of sanctions.

One could also recall the former president’s speech at Columbia University where the Iranian presidency and the whole nation were insulted but nobody expressed any objection; while in Rohani’s administration we had sequential negotiations that finally culminated in the nuclear deal.

This incidental encounter occurred as the US President was accompanied by John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, who introduced Zarif to Obama.

While there is a wide gap between Iran and the US, there is no animosity between the two nations. We should keep an eye on our interests, to not be deceived. Thus there would be no need for radicalism.

Since a foreign minister’s duty is to meet his counterparts, it would not have been proper had Iran’s foreign minister visited other US State Department officials.

Accordingly, it seems that the taboo of Iranian officials meeting US officials is more of a diplomatic gesture. These kinds of taboos are being escalated by parties that squandered the country’s capital and put national interests in danger. By accentuating these incidents, the critics merely intend to cover up the main problems.

Translated by: Parisa Farhadi