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Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/02/07/do0702.xml
Why Iran Must Make the Next Move
[Telegraph-UK] Richard Dalton - It has not yet sunk into Iran that their situation at home and abroad is not as strong as they maintain it is for domestic consumption. The Europeans can help here by being firm. Still it is a fact that Iran needs an accommodation with the U.S. because there are things only the U.S. can unlock, including UN and U.S. sanctions. Nor are bilateral U.S./Iran talks likely to get far before the U.S. has reduced the harm caused to its interests by the Lebanon war, Iraq, the festering of the Middle East peace process, and the perception of disunity at home and collapsed prestige abroad. It means showing that Hizbullah will not roll the Lebanese government over; that Iranian agents in Iraq have reason to fear arrest; that a balance of power can be maintained in the Gulf; and that the flow of oil will be safe. Sir Richard Dalton was British Ambassador to Iran in 2002-2006.