Those dealing with the Iranians, especially politically, should count their fingers every time they shake hands, as they practice deception. It is said that former Pakistani President Zia-ul-Haq stated, “Whoever deals with America is like the one who handles coal; all they get is blackened hands and face.”
Although this statement is not entirely accurate, it applies to the current Tehran regime, which changes its positions every hour. Every Iranian statement is riddled with ambiguity that only magicians can decipher, because they are creatures of the same nature.
The reality differs from official Iranian statements, as events prove that the regime is dying after losing its leader. Daily developments confirm this fact, due to which mediators caution against dealing with Iran, comparing it to handling a bag of coal.
On this basis, Omani and Qatari mediators withdrew from the negotiations. The Pakistani mediator is observing the repeated stalling tactics by Iranian officials. The statements from the foreign minister contradict those of the speaker of parliament, while the president accuses the latter of lying.
Also, the statements of the Revolutionary Guard are being regarded as embarrassing for everyone. Those following current developments say the situation reflects a period of confusion. In this context, the US President Donald Trump was right when he said, “We don’t know who we are dealing with right now.”
For centuries, Iranians have dealt with crises using a strategy of stalling, with the hope that the other side will eventually lose patience. I have written about this Iranian approach several times.
Today, the situation is placing immense pressure on the international community due to the continued disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, which is affecting the global economy, as well as ongoing aggression against the Gulf states, most recently the attack on the United Arab Emirates. This confirms that diplomatic solutions with the Iranian regime are nothing but a waste of time.
While Zia-ul-Haq may have made that statement about the United States, current events indicate that Washington is more pragmatic in its approach of dealing with Iran. What Zia-ul-Haq said applies to Tehran more than ever. Iran is embarrassing Pakistani mediators, just as it embarrassed others before them.
Over the past 23 years, mediation efforts led by the Sultanate of Oman culminated in the 2015 signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal. Despite its numerous flaws, former US President Barack Obama signed the agreement after two years of negotiations.
The negotiating team believed that talks could drag on for decades without any result, and that the Iranian leadership was indifferent to the suffering of its people. As a result, the Obama administration reluctantly signed the agreement.
However, months later, Iran began violating the agreement by increasing uranium enrichment to 60 percent, which confirmed its pursuit of developing nuclear weapons. This is why, when the current US president withdrew from the agreement in 2018 during his first term, he aimed to curb the activities of a terrorist regime that threatens not only the region but the world.
Today, some Arabs are seen as defending the Iranian perspective. This is like searching for water in a mirage, claiming that Iranian lies mislead those who are shortsighted. The international community doesn’t take the opinions of television analysts at face value, as it deals with facts. Over the past 60 days, Iran has repeatedly fallen into the traps it had set. Therefore, if there are any rational voices left in Iran, they should take the latest threat from the American president seriously.
