Iran made missteps and needs to focus less on threats, Zarif says

Iran needs better dialogue with its neighbors, veteran negotiator Javad Zarif said in an op-ed for the Economist magazine, adding that Tehran erred in focusing too much on threats.

An architect of the 2015 deal over Iran's disputed nuclear program, Zarif is a cogent voice in English-speaking policy circles for greater engagement with Tehran.

"Like all nations, Iran has faced its share of challenges and missteps. The Iranian people, having endured significant sacrifices, are now prepared—with resilience and confidence—to take bold steps," Zarif, now vice-president for strategic affairs, wrote.

"This shift from a threat-centered perspective to an opportunity-driven one aligns with the vision outlined by President Pezeshkian (and myself) during last summer’s presidential campaign in Iran."

The Islamic Republic is now suffering some of the biggest military and economic setbacks in its nearly 50-year history with its armed allies and air defenses largely neutered by punishing Israeli attacks and Donald Trump due to levy harsher sanctions.

Western-educated Zarif and soft-spoken President Masoud Pezeshkian are seen as largely separate from strategic and military decisions which are ultimately in the hands of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

To enshrine dialogue, Zarif proposed in his op-ed a Muslim West Asian Dialogue Association (MWADA) spanning Muslim states as far as Egypt but excluding top military power and arch-nemesis Israel.

"A non-aggression pact among MWADA states, coupled with collective regional monitoring, will help institutionalize stability and protect the region from external interference as well as from internal strife."

Zarif cited "much improved relations between Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia today," saying better Tehran-Riyadh relations would tamp down sectarian tensions plaguing the region.

In another conciliatory gesture to Iran's erstwhile foes, the rebel groups now running Syria, Zarif said the country could rebuild with help from Iran and other neighbors.

"Governance reforms in Syria—as a basis for economic assistance—will promote accountability and lay the groundwork for a safe and stable country where women and minorities can thrive."

Iran's own treatment of women and minorities was recently criticized in a United Nations General Assembly Resolution and Tehran largely quelled a women's rights protest movement in 2022 with deadly force.