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The U.S., Not Iran, Has the Upper Hand in Nuclear Negotiations
(Washington Post) Ray Takeyh - President Hassan Rouhani has managed to inculcate the notion that he is under pressure from hard-liners at home and that a failure by the great powers to invest in his presidency would end Iran's moderate interlude. But a more careful examination reveals that the notion that Rouhani will be displaced unless he can quickly obtain concessions from the West is spurious. The Western powers should not be afraid to suspend negotiations or walk away, should the Iranians prove intransigent. Ironically, stalemated negotiations are likely to pressure Iran into offering more concessions. U.S. sanctions policy has offered its diplomats indispensable leverage. Washington is in a position to demand the most stringent of nuclear accords and should pay scant attention to Iran's oft-proclaimed red lines. The writer is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.