Boston Globe: The one-day talks between Iran, the United States, and five other world powers last week gave a glimmer of hope that the impasse over Iran’s nuclear program might be solved through diplomatic rather than military means.
The Boston Globe editorial
The one-day talks between Iran, the United States, and five other world powers last week gave a glimmer of hope that the impasse over Iran’s nuclear program might be solved through diplomatic rather than military means. But the brief meeting merely tested Iran’s willingness to discuss its program, and left the real heavy lifting for a follow-up meeting scheduled for late May.
That approach has generated criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has accused the Obama administration of stringing out the negotiations. Indeed, kicking the issue down the road could be a good move for Obama politically, since the appearance of compromise with Iran could make him look weak before the election. But there are other reasons to allow the talks to unfold slowly, rather than in rapid-fire, high-stakes negotiations. Talks will only work if the parties generate some level of trust that the other side will keep its word. That usually takes time. And Iran is more likely to compromise on its nuclear program after biting sanctions against its oil industry kick in this July.
