https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-897618
Using delaying tactics, Iran turns US negotiations into a prolonged waiting game
Diplomacy with Iran is a cycle of progress and delay, where clarity often gives way to calculated ambiguity.
Just listen to this mouthful by the Iranian Foreign Ministry: “The fact that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the topics under discussion is correct. However, to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent, no one can make such a claim.
“Policymaking and decision-making in the US are suffering from a kind of institutionalized vacillation. The repeated changes in positions – within a matter of hours, you are faced with different, often contradictory and conflicting viewpoints. This disrupts the process of any negotiation.”
It is that obtuse statement that tells you everything you need to know about how the Iranian regime is engaged in the art of the non-deal.
The main points Trump clearly outlined don’t seem to have changed:
• Iran would have to agree to never develop nuclear weapons. Consequently, they would not be permitted to retain the 60%-enriched uranium or the stored dust that is yet to be enriched.
• The Strait of Hormuz would have to be opened with free access to all vessels, without payment, essentially acknowledging that the waterway is not the property of any country but, rather, a passage which allows unfettered international commerce for all.
• All mines in the Strait of Hormuz would have to be cleared out, so that anyone using the waterway would be guaranteed safe passage. The American naval blockade wouldn’t be removed until that happens.
So where is the ambiguity? Where are the contradictions, vacillation, or conflicting viewpoints of Americans? These have always been the non-negotiable points.
What is clear is that this back-and-forth game is fooling no one – at least none of us here in the Middle East who understand the devious, cunning, and underhanded tactics being employed by experts skilled at not making deals.
They will feign ignorance, misunderstanding, and ambiguity, ad nauseam, all towards the goal of buying more time in order to position themselves favorably. It’s what they do best!
Just try buying one of their magnificent rugs. It’s never a simple, cut-and-dry process. The asking price is meant to be outrageous, but getting to the point where it will walk out the door with you is a lengthy, tedious, and painful process. Don’t even think about using the ploy of turning your back and walking away, because it will not sway them. I speak from much personal experience.
But rugs are nothing when it comes to high-stakes power plays. Iran is not about to give up the things that provide it with the potential of world dominance, their end goal.
It took the Islamic Revolution 47 years of hard work to illicitly procure centrifuge technology, along with nuclear blueprints they managed to take from the Pakistanis, allowing the extremist regime to develop uranium enrichment. It wasn’t until 2002 that an opposition group disclosed the nuclear sites that had been established.
Lying, as usual, they claimed the facilities were just for their civilian energy program, but no one was buying it. Knowing that they were suddenly being scrutinized, they feverishly worked hard to complete their ambitions. Once they reached 60% enrichment, the other 30% needed to make it weapons-grade became an urgent priority to stop them dead in their tracks.
That’s when the regime reverted to its stalling tactics. Pretending that they don’t understand or are confused, they have used every trick in the book known to man when it comes to slow-walking a deal that requires a simple yes or no.
Each time the negotiators claimed to be on the verge of a deal, there was always the proverbial sticking point that gummed up the process, requiring an extra 30-60 days to work out the complicated details.
But that’s where it all becomes so transparent. There are no real sticking points in this deal. There are only parties that want to appear to be moving in your direction while never actually doing it.
It is in the DNA of Persians to interminably stall for time, which is said to have “deal-making prowess, that’s been rooted in thousands of years of imperial administration, the strategic environment of the Silk Road and complex cultural traditions – theirs is a heritage cultivated on valuing patience, psychological awareness and strategic adaptability in negotiations.”
Iran proves hard to outmaneuver
How does anyone compete with that? The art of the non-deal has been honed and crafted in a way that exceeds the capability of others who dare to compete for that distinction. In short, there is no way to win and no way to outmaneuver these uber-skilled artisans – not even if your name is Donald J. Trump.
The only way to get the desired results is to abandon all negotiations, acknowledging that it will bear no fruit. Then, overpower this regime by brute force. Until that is internalized, we will be subjected to this protracted game, which will only stop once enough time has been bought by the ruling Iranian regime to accomplish its nuclear ambitions.
It’s what they’re counting on and what the American administration has to finally realize. They simply will not win if they continue down the losing path they have chosen.
They might have already come to that conclusion had they spent enough time in this area of the world, where marketplace haggling is an art form. Instead, they relied upon their default position of American logic, fair-bargaining practice, and the same tactics that worked well for them in the business world.
That explains why the Gaza deal, brokered by American businessman Steve Witkoff, sounded good but has never really gotten off the ground as intended.
It’s a hit-and-miss, testifying to a different sort of people who cannot be outmaneuvered. They’re in this to win, and if the rest of us are going to have a chance in this battle of good vs evil, it’s time that we attempt to do more than level a playing field that can never be evenly matched.
Stop haggling, forget about negotiations, and just attack!
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-897618
