Senators, businessmen, diplomats, and foreign policyspecialists celebrated the Persian New Year(“Norooz” ) with a sumptuous traditional Persiandinner after a conference at the U.S. Chamber ofCommerce to discuss its Iran CommercialInitiative. Norooz is a renewal ritual that has beenobserved for the past 3000 years on the first ofspring by Zoroastrian, Christian, Moslem, and Jewish Iranians.
“Axis-of-evil” rhetoric was not on the menu.Rather, after expressing certain oft-repeated concerns,Senators Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), JosephBiden (D-Del.), and Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.)made news by advocating direct dialogue and constructiveengagement with Iran as a strategic alternativefor advancing American economic and securityinterests. Participants in the days eventsincluded: Zalmay Khalilzad, NSC advisor to thePresident, Robert Gallucci, Dean of Georgetown’sSchool of Foreign Service, and GiandomenicoPicco, a former under secretary general at theUnited Nations, who explained that the “axis-of-evil”approach only strengthens the hand of hard-line elements in Iran.
Author Terence Ward,whose book Searching forHassan: An American Family’s Journey Home to Iranwas recently released, introduced the keynotespeaker, Senator Hagel, who emphasized the strategicbenefits of engaging in trade with Iran. “ Theanswer is not to turn our backs and say, you fix it,then we’ll deal with you. All that does is isolate us.It does not isolate Iran.” Senator Biden declared, “Ibelieve that an improved relationship with Iran is inthe naked self-interest of the U.S.,” noting that Iranhad been essential in the effort to topple theTaliban and to create the new government in Kabulduring the Bonn negotiations.
After cautioning that we be “mindful of thepainful history between our two countries, whichincludes reported CIA support for a coup in 1953[in Iran],” Biden recommended five specific stepsthat should be pursued: 1) “permit American NonGovernmental Organizations to financially support abroad range of civil society, cultural, human rights,and democracy-building activities in Iran” (currentlybanned by a Clinton-era Executive Order); 2) “Workwith Iran on areas of mutual interest (like the futureof Iraq) as we did in Afghanistan; 3) Support Iran’sbid to join the World Trade Organization, becausethe required “structural changes would increasetransparency;” 4) Increase “assistance to Iran onrefugee and narcotics matters, because Iran has threemillion Afghan refugees and has paid a heavy pricein blood and treasure battling narcotics traffickers;”5) Encourage more “citizen exchanges” to counterhardline attempts to use the U.S. as a “bogeyman” to“perpetuate Iran’s isolation.”
Keith Weissman, Deputy Director of theAmerican-Israel PAC (AIPAC), was also invited toexplain his concerns about trade with Iran. Whenpressed in Q&A about whether his organizationwould oppose the sale of pollution control and irrigationequipment to Iran, he responded that,although he could not speak for all of AIPAC, hewas not personally opposed to such an idea. Healso noted that AIPAC supported the ClintonAdministration’s opening to allow export of U.S.food and medicine to Iran and U.S. imports ofcaviar, carpets, and nuts.
Te rence Ward, the American author who grewup in Iran, summed up the evening’s sentiments byreciting the conclusion reached by former U.S.Supreme Court Justice Douglas: “Persians arespiritual kin to Americans.”
