January 18, 1998

Overture By Iran For Dialogue Poses Dilemma For US

Iran’s new president, Mohammed Khatami, made nice with “the American people” over Cable News Network last week -- thereby startling U.S. government officials at all levels.

The Clinton administration has been working strenuously to reassemble the coalition that isolated Iran and won the Gulf War against Iraq. Now, that objective has been snatched away by global politics.

Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein showed that the United States has become a toothless tiger unable to stop his production of poison gases and deadly germs. Indeed, he may get a reward in the form of permission to sell more oil despite attitude-adjustment sanctions.

Recognizing this precedent, Khatami moved to escape the sanctions imposed on Iran 18 years ago following massive terrorist attacks on western nationals.

Mature Americans remember the 52 U.S. embassy workers at Tehran held hostage for 444 days, the 293 U.S. Marine “peace keepers” killed by a suicide-bomber in Lebanon, and the numerous airline hijackings by Iranian fanatics.

Khatami acknowledged -- sort of -- in the CNN interview that seizure of the American embassy was a mistake. He regretted that the “feelings of the Great American people have been hurt.”

Nonetheless, he asserted the feelings of Iranians also had been hurt by past crimes of the United States.

President Carter bought into this recurring rhetoric back in 1979. He apologized in a confidential letter to the Iranian Revolutionary Council. He complained that he had “inherited a foreign policy that led us to commit errors in the past.” He promised “a great effort to give the Iranian people the necessary satisfaction.”

Carter was then, and Khatami is now, ignorant of the crimes and errors supposedly inflicted on Iran by the “great Satan.”

It would be useful for today’s policy makers to review the “crimes” before making any rash accommodations. The list is long.

With enemies like us, who needs friends?

Khatami is tiptoeing through a political minefield. France and Russia want to lift sanctions officially, though they have largely ignored them for years. The U.S. threatens to impose trade sanctions on our allies if they continue selling military technology to Iran. France, Russia, and Germany are not amused.

While talking rapprochement, Khatami test fired a long-rang ballistic missile engine capable of reaching Israel, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- all being U.S. allies.

Iran also is fortifying Hormuz Strait, gateway to Persian Gulf oil.

It is more likely, however, that Khatami is trying to contain a brewing cultural revolution in his own country.

Young Iranians have adopted American dress and traits -- blue jeans, miniskirts, discos, rock music, kissing in public -- the whole nine yards. Young women have discarded the long, black robes and strict rules prescribed by the ayatollahs.

Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamene, declared in his weekly sermon last week that Khatami’s overture is just propaganda. The strict Islamic code is on its way out, but the clergy will not go quietly.

Controlling factor in Khatami’s new attitude certainly stems from oil economics. He needs to sell more of it freely.

This summer, Iran will seek partners in a $5 billion oil development project. The French firm Total is angling for the work despite the American law sanctioning any country buying more than $20 million of oil annually with Iran or Libya. As usual, the French government is pleased to poke Uncle Sam in the eye.

Failure by President Clinton to impose the law, if challenged, will trigger a massive flow of capital to Iran. The U.S. is more anxious to open the Caspian Sea oil field which has more reserves than that of the entire Middle East. Unfortunately, the best pipeline route to the Persian Gulf lies through Iran.

Remember Roger Tamaraz’ $300,000 contribution to Clinton’s last presidential campaign in return for three minutes of lobbying for a Caspian Sea pipeline?

Despite the complications, Clinton has cautiously welcomed Khatami’s call for “thoughtful dialogue” and “cultural exchanges.”

State Department spokesman James Rubin declared after the CNN interview, “We continue to believe the way to address the issues between us is for our two governments to talk directly.”

In other words, stop trying to run around our end and negotiate directly with the American people. Those who live by the sword, die by the sword.

Apropos of nothing, perhaps, is that the CNN interview with Khatami was conducted by Iranian-born foreign correspondent Christine Amanpour. She and Rubin are engaged.

Wheels within wheels.

PARTING SHOTS

Another daredevil has crashed trying to float around the world in a hot-air balloon. He should have launched from Washington, D.C., where he could have obtained a full load of lifting power.

* * *

Friend Robert Hughes has figured out balloonists: ‘Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.”

By Lindsey Williams, columnist for Sun Coast Media Group newspapers