The shocking resignation of Iran’s nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani has brought to light the deep ideological infighting that exists within the Iranian leadership. Although Larijani is a conservative, he is not considered to be a political ally of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Western analysts say that the former nuclear negotiator was getting frustrated with the hardline stance that his president has taken regarding the nuclear standoff with the west.
Saeed Jalili, the little-known deputy foreign minister, is a former revolutionary guard quite close to the Ayatollah and president Ahmadinejad. Many say he carries the voice of the president and the Ayatollah and as a result the West can expect further hardening of Iranian stance regarding the nuclear standoff under his new negotiating powers.
Leading political analyst Mohammad Sadegh Al-Hosseini believes that the appointment of Saeed Jalili is a clear indication that president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants to spread his control over the nuclear policy ahead of parliamentary elections in March, 2008 and the presidential polls in 2009. This appointment is regarded as the first step of consolidating the power of president Ahmadinejad in the country’s political scenario.
But some Iranians feel that Mr.Larijani resigned from his post due to his own political ambitions, which is getting elected as a member of parliament.
It will be interesting to see how the west and the IAEA get on with the new Iranian nuclear negotiator. Given his relatively limited experience on international negotiations in addition to a hardline attitude similar to his provocative president, the world might have a tough time in making Iran come clean on its real intentions of procuring nuclear energy.
Link: Reuters
