Will Khamenei Compromise?
Iran has announced a willingness to return to negotiations over its nuclear program. While the Iranian economy faces economic sanctions and an oil embargo, Khamenei is consolidating his power and may not be willing to make the concessions needed to appease the US and Israel, believing time to be on his side.
Iran’s announcement that it is willing to return to negotiations over its nuclear program this month [April 2012] is encouraging but the question remains: Will it be amenable to or even capable of compromising?
The Iranian economy has no doubt been damaged by recent sanctions against Iran’s Central Bank and will be more so by an upcoming European embargo of Iranian oil. Recent political developments in Iran may also facilitate engagement by the Islamic Republic with the United States and its partners. There have been small signs that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, may now be better able to make concessions on the nuclear program than in the past.
