Iran: tackling the nuclear dispute and regional crisis

 

With the understanding between Iran and the E3+3 reached in Lausanne, a positive solution to the nuclear negotiations seems to be possible – at least in the long run. But overall, the regional order in the MENA region is becoming more and more fragile. Despite the intervention of a coalition led by Saudi Arabia, no end to the military conflict in Yemen is in sight. At the same time military cooperation between the West and Iran are intensifying in the fight agaisnt the IS in Iraq – but not in Syria, where the IS is still very strong. 

Against this backdrop, ECFR Berlin and CARPO orgainised a round table discussion. Questions on the agenda for this dicussion round included: What could a possible nuclear agreement look like? How will the relations between the West and Iran develop? What role do geo-strategic calculations play in all of this? Could the possible nuclear deal be a means to dipolmacy and de-escalation or will the tensions and antagonisms resurface in the aftermath of Lausanne?  

To open the debate Ellie Geranmayeh, MENA Policy Fellow at ECFR, and Adnan Tabatabai, CEO of Carpo, engaged Dr. Mostafa Zahrani, Director of the Institute for Political and International Studies in Teheran, into a conversation in the format of a Q&A. This conversation was followed by a comment from Thomas Schneider, Head of the Department Middle East in the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the second part of the event the participants, representitives from various Embassies in Berlin, the German Bundestag, think-tanks and the media, were invited to join the discussion.