By Suzanne DiMaggio

Best Defense
guest columnist

It is the year 2015.

Since a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program was reached some
months ago, there have been a few minor missteps on Tehran’s part and the
process of rolling back the sanctions has not been entirely smooth. Beyond
these hiccups, the IAEA has continued to verify that Iran is complying with its
commitments. This has enabled Washington to directly engage Tehran on two
strategic priorities that they both hold in common — t

Source: ricks.foreignpolicy.com

"What we have been witnessing over these past months is calculated, incremental engagement, not rapprochement in a classic textbook sense. A dramatic "Nixon Goes to China" moment doesn’t seem to be in the making — nor does a "grand bargain." Instead, we have cautious cooperation on a few common strategic objectives, an approach that seems to fit within Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s comfort zone. Washington increasingly sees the benefit of working with Iran, but still in limited ways. Both are faced with the ambiguity of dealing with a government that will not be an ally anytime soon, but is not quite the bitter enemy it once was."

See on Scoop.it – Political Transitions in the Middle East