Americans against obstacle in way of JCPOA: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Jan Oberg, founder of the transnational.org from Lund, about a letter written by more than 75 high-profile American politicians and diplomats to call on the White House to bring the US and Iran closer together.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: How do you perceive this letter and the idea behind it?

Oberg: Very important first of all to celebrate the first anniversary of this remarkable deal which was one of the best news last year in world politics. Secondly, this is a bunch of rather conservative high level of realpolitik politicians who obviously feel a need to tell the world that we are also a number of Americans who are not hateful of Iran and who do not support the present obstacles that is set up to lifting the sanctions. And third I think it's very important that the point is made that the US and Iran and I would say the West and Iran have clear common interest ...

And we know that there are conflicts and these disappointments on both sides on their historical grievances, but the only way we can make peace in this world is to look at what we have in common and begin there. So, what they're saying is that this is a win-win solution and that we should take also the West should take the necessary steps to establish more and closer relations more diverse relationship and cooperation with Iran.

I can only applaud that it's what the world needs we don't need all these things that we see these days with confrontation and saber rattling and all these kinds of things that belongs to the past. The world and the West have to get into cooperation and win-win solutions. So, I like this although I mean this is by no means radical peace next or anything like that.

Press TV: Mr. Oberg, the group of individuals who wrote the letter they called on the US government to develop policies, which increase chances of cooperation with Iran and minimize confrontation. Our guest that we spoke to earlier here on Press TV earlier in the day had a very interesting viewpoint and that was the nature of the US’s behavior and attitude towards Iran. He stated that the United States has to change that attitude and temperament and all the letters in the world won't change anything until the US behaves that way towards the Islamic Republic.

Oberg: Well, I agree with that. I have no problems. I'm probably somebody would say that has to be a change also on the Iranian side at some of the attitudes to the West. What the point is here is that somebody must take the first step and the other side must reciprocate. Secondly, I have since two or three years back argued that it is very good to have a deal but it would have been better. Sorry, I'm no diplomat but I'm a researcher in this field.  It would have been better, I think, to have had a process of some kind of let call it truth and reconciliation commission, process, exchange, dialogue not making it too formal. The Iranians have a lot of grievances with the West and they still have; although, there's no hate and animosity among the Iranian people and the West feel a lot of grievances with Iranian policies back in time the revolution on all these kinds of things and we know them all, it's in history, it's in the books.

Now, to really develop cooperation we need confidence building we need to deal a little bit with the past we need to find out where we agree to disagree and where we agree that we can go on and move forward towards a peaceful dignified cooperation between the West/US and Iran and other countries in the Middle East.

So, if the human factor is not there of some minimum of trust, some minimum a mutual understanding, some minimum of reconciliation over what has happened before, it is more difficult just to have an agreement. That was why it was remarkable to have an agreement, but I also say the basis of that agreement, the JCPOA, which turns one year and so is probably not strong enough.  And I think a letter like this and other attitude and a lot of intellectuals and people like myself going to Iran working with academics in Iran etc can all help and I hope that ordinary citizens will help too by exchanges and going to each others’ countries and learning from each other.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk