The Iranian president Mr Masoud Pezeshkian’s reaffirmation of Iran’s commitment to both non proliferation of nuclear weapons and continuation of its nuclear enrichment program aimed at peaceful use, is both nuanced and defiant.
He made a very powerful statement saying that not making nuclear weapons is their political, religious, humanitarian and strategic position. This is like declaring that though it reserves the right to defend itself, including preemptive action, it is committed to use proportionate force against any aggression. Nuclear weapons are disproportionate and inhuman. He also said that he is not optimistic about the ceasefire ending the 12 day war, which saw massive but manageable damage to Iran, which lost many of its top military commanders and scientists, in what seemed to be an attempt to decapitate it. Yet it managed to hit targets in Israel which exposed its vulnerability perhaps for the first time ever. Given its hostile surroundings and the tiny size of its territory, Israel has made a projection of its impenetrability, its main defense policy. Losing this claim, has undone decades of military exercise and it must reassess its power projection. Iran is also preparing for tougher sanctions. It has learned to live with sanctions, for almost all of its post revolutionary history. These sanctions will further test the influence and economic dominance of USA against a resurgent china and defiant Russia. They too will be tested if their claims of being rival poles has any substance. They had failed in the endeavor during the war.
The Arab monarchies are facing the severest challenge of legitimacy and they will have to reconsider their stance on both Iran and Palestine.
A nuanced and defiant position
