Political Trust as the Reason for Europe's Renewed Engagement with Iran

The government-aligned newspaper Iran, in its editorial on Wednesday, titled "Us and Europe; The Beginning of a New Chapter," assessed the visit of senior European officials to Tehran as a "wave of Europe's return to Iran," attributing it to Europe’s "political trust" in Iran. The newspaper wrote: "At least the events of the two weeks following the Vienna agreement showed that in the capitals of Europe, everything is ready for the beginning of a new chapter of cooperation with Iran; neither in London nor in Berlin and Paris does anyone pay attention to the uproar of hardliners opposing the agreement." The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, provided a different assessment of the visit of the French Foreign Minister and the EU's foreign policy chief to Tehran, stating that the "chain visits of Europeans to Iran" stem from their perspective to "generalize the Middle Eastern aspects of the JCPOA." This newspaper warned about the acceleration of improved relations and cooperation between Iran and Europe and the possibility of expanding this cooperation to the region. The newspaper Etemad, in its front page, referred to the tension in the public session of the parliament on Tuesday, describing it as "Tuesday Insult," and wrote: "The patience of both opponents and supporters of the nuclear agreement has run out; the parliament became tense. Words were coming out from chests and shouts from throats. It seemed that no word was to remain unanswered. The whistle for the fight was blown by Mehdi Koochakzadeh; where he described Ali Larijani's behavior as 'monarchical.'" The newspaper Shargh also published a caricature of Ali Larijani on its front page, quoting the Speaker of the 9th Parliament as saying: "I have declared that there is no god but Allah." The newspaper Shahrevand reported on Wednesday about a phone call from the Minister of Health to the Chief Justice regarding the arrest of Forough Razmjouyi, a surgeon at Noorabad Mamassani Hospital, and quoted Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi as saying that Sadegh Larijani ordered the investigation into the case of this doctor. The newspaper Qanoon dedicated its front page to Mohammad Baqer Nobakht's reaction to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's complaint against Eshaq Jahangiri, quoting the government spokesman as saying: "Documents of Ahmadinejad's government violations exist." The newspaper Shahrevand, while publishing a report about "the sale of expired goods to supermarkets," wrote: "In a situation where the law obliges manufacturers to collect expired goods from supermarkets, a multitude of expired products can still be seen on supermarket shelves." According to this newspaper, "These goods have a heartrending backstory. Now, supermarket owners are revealing a violation that exposes the secret of selling expired goods, stating that manufacturers force retailers to buy their unpopular products." The newspaper Arman dedicated its front page to Hassan Khomeini and published a report about the possibility of the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini entering the Assembly of Experts elections. This newspaper also has a report on the reasons for the flooding in Kon and Solqan in Tehran, describing at least 20 victims of this flood as "victims of greed and negligence." The newspaper wrote: "About 10 days have passed since the flood on the evening of July 19 in Tehran, and despite various statements from officials about this flood and storm, no one knows why a few minutes of heavy rain caused such damage," while "the ownership of some over the lands along the Kon River and the commercial use of these lands, which are mostly used as halls and restaurants, was so neglected by officials that it showed its consequences in the form of floods and financial and human losses." The political trust is the reason for the wave of Europe's return to Iran. The newspaper Iran, close to the government, in its editorial on Wednesday, titled "Us and Europe; The Beginning of a New Chapter," wrote: "At least the events of the two weeks following the Vienna agreement showed that in the capitals of Europe, everything is ready for the beginning of a new chapter of cooperation with Iran; neither in London nor in Berlin and Paris does anyone pay attention to the uproar of hardliners opposing the agreement." This newspaper described the visit of senior European officials, including Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, and Laurent Fabius, the French Foreign Minister, to Iran as a "wave of Europe’s return to Iran," stating that these visits "although accompanied by excitement and competition, as the French try to keep up with the Germans, are not a reactive and emotional movement but seem to be based on a series of calculations and rationality." Mohammad Nouri in the editorial of the newspaper Iran wrote: "The first sign of this rationality was evident on the day when 28 foreign ministers of Europe gathered in Brussels and previously endorsed the Vienna agreement at the Security Council. It is true that during the 23 months of nuclear negotiations, the Americans played the main role in the 1+5 team, and John Kerry and Obama's share of this agreement is greater than Merkel, Steinmeier, or Cameron, but what is now happening in the fruitful season of the Vienna agreement is the advance of the European caravan ahead of other competitors, and European diplomats have outpaced both the Americans and the Russian and Chinese parties." The editorial writer of the newspaper Iran pointed out that "there is no disagreement among the factions within the Union regarding this shift in Europe's view of Iran," writing: "Western European powers are striving to enter the Iranian market just as much as the Eastern front of this continent. In the list of applicants to travel to Iran, both the names of veteran European governments like Germany, England, and France and the names of younger countries in this continent can be seen." According to the newspaper Iran, "In recent days, when two prominent European officials, Laurent Fabius and Federica Mogherini, decided to travel to Iran, the opposing faction of negotiations inside Iran and in corners of Europe tried to revive some past disagreements; they even referred to some archived files in relations between Tehran and Paris or Tehran and London, but all these efforts faded in the warmth of trust arising from the Vienna agreement," and even "the French guest in Tehran, ignoring the efforts of the opponents, said that we buried all past disagreements in Vienna." The editorial writer of the newspaper Iran emphasized that "the secret of today's interest and favor from Europe must be sought in an element called political trust," writing: "Political trust is the missing link in any relationship; if it is not established, any other move in the world of diplomacy remains barren, as was the case in the previous government, where despite extensive efforts to play the card of Iran's oil with the West, the lack of trust led to the opposite result." However, "the cornerstone of today's Western trust in Iran was laid after the elections of June 24, 2013, and during the 23 months of negotiations; otherwise, the shift of a large political and economic bloc like Europe is not something that happens overnight." According to this newspaper, "During the two years of consultations and interactions of Rouhani's diplomatic team with Western diplomats, they have set aside the pessimistic perceptions left over from the previous administration," and "the trust today of European diplomats is also trust in the competence and effectiveness of Iran's foreign policy during the moderation government." The warning from the newspaper close to the Revolutionary Guards about the acceleration of improved relations and cooperation between Iran and Europe. The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, provided a different assessment of the visit of the French Foreign Minister and the EU's foreign policy chief to Tehran, stating that the "chain visits of Europeans to Iran" stem from their perspective to "generalize the Middle Eastern aspects of the JCPOA." This newspaper wrote: "Two weeks after Iran and the 1+5 reached the comprehensive action plan, European delegations have poured into Tehran. Last week, the German finance minister visited Tehran, on Tuesday the EU's foreign policy chief arrived in Iran, and on Wednesday Laurent Fabius, the French Foreign Minister, comes to Iran, and in the coming days, the Austrian Foreign Minister will also visit Iran with an economic team." The newspaper Javan emphasized that "the main focus of these visits, ostensibly to reopen Iran's economy to the West, also pursues another political goal; to extend the results of the Geneva negotiations to other regional arrangements with the aim of what the Western parties have labeled as changing Iran's regional behavior in foreign policy." This newspaper wrote: "Diplomats in Tehran confirm that after Iran's agreement with the 1+5 in Vienna, the Middle East is the second file that the Western side seeks to open with Iran." This newspaper close to the Revolutionary Guards, quoting "an Iranian diplomat who requested anonymity for diplomatic considerations," wrote: "The West is looking for a new definition and delineation in the Middle East. In this new delineation, Iran's role is accepted, but the role that the Western side accepts is not Iran's natural role. They are trying to curb Iran's natural role in favor of their allies." The newspaper Javan even "predicted that Fabius would likely behave outside the defined frameworks in Tehran," and wrote: "The Middle East file, after the nuclear file, will be the next challenge for Iran's foreign policy; a subject that observers in Tehran also confirm signs of such a challenge forming. They say that in the absence of normal relations between Tehran and Washington, European governments will play a larger role in extending the Vienna agreement to other Middle Eastern issues." This newspaper referred to the statements of Francois Hollande, the President of France, who said on Monday that the way Iran's foreign minister is treated in Tehran is a test to gauge Iran's behavior, emphasizing that "we expect President Rouhani to show that Iran can help solve severe regional crises, especially in Syria." The newspaper Javan, quoting "some experts" without mentioning their names and identities, "warned" that "Iran's foreign policy must move more cautiously to extend the results of the Vienna negotiations to Middle Eastern issues" and that "attempting to extend something similar to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to Middle Eastern arrangements is hasty." "Tuesday Insult" in the Parliament. The newspaper Etemad, in its front page, referred to the tension in the public session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly on Tuesday, describing it as "Tuesday Insult," and wrote: "The patience of both opponents and supporters of the nuclear agreement has run out; the parliament became tense. Words were coming out from chests and shouts from throats. It seemed that no word was to remain unanswered. The whistle for the fight was blown by Mehdi Koochakzadeh; where he described Ali Larijani's behavior as 'monarchical.'" Ehsan Badaghi pointed out that the work in the Tuesday parliamentary session reached the point where "Ali Larijani also expressed his thoughts," writing that the Speaker stated: "Some said that Ahmadinejad's and Mashaei's dog is more honorable than these people; I declare here once again the testimony: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. How is it possible that someone's dog is more honorable than someone who has declared the testimony and is a Muslim?" According to the newspaper Etemad, such a reaction from Ali Larijani "has thrown a heavy ball into the court of his opponents; a ball that critics of the negotiations must collect and return to its original place. They have already begun to do so. Mehdi Koochakzadeh, Hamid Rasai, and Rouhollah Hosseinian quickly came and told the Tasnim news agency that neither they nor their political allies had made such statements, but "one of Larijani's close associates discreetly provided reporters with the address of the speaker of those remarks about Larijani," stating that "one of the main opponents of the negotiations, who has repeatedly brought Mr. Zarif to the parliament, made this statement in a nearly official session." This newspaper emphasized that "words are no longer a train of terms between supporters and critics of the nuclear deal. The statements have turned into bullets to be fired at each other; a shooting that must be defended against. A trench of politics. A trench of temporary alliances." Now both sides have chosen their paths; supporters stand firmly behind these two years of negotiations, and critics cannot tolerate this nuclear agreement. The newspaper Etemad also reported that "Hamid Rasai, in a letter to the President, requested that the text of the agreement with the 1+5 be reverted and negotiations be restarted. This means starting over. This means that whatever happens is better than accepting this agreement; an agreement that Ibrahim Karami has also found 105 limitations in its text and published to show how serious the crisis of acceptance is. Yesterday, everyone after that tense session said that the agreement should not exacerbate internal political differences." This newspaper also wrote: "The state of the session on Tuesday may mark the beginning of a new situation in the Majlis," while "serious nuclear sessions and elections for the special commission to review the JCPOA are still ahead. Elections for which two factions have not been able to take a step toward reaching a common strategy for holding it. In such circumstances, it is unclear how long the reconciliations between Kazem Jalali and Mehdi Koochakzadeh, after their verbal altercation in the public session, will last. Reconciliations that the post-session statements of both sides indicated were more of a performance in front of the cameras." Mahshid Sotoudeh, in a note in the newspaper Etemad, examined the reasons for the critics' attack on the Speaker of the 9th Parliament, writing: "Ali Larijani these days is not like he was in the 1990s, nor does he bear the slightest resemblance to the 2000s. The Speaker is in a situation where he is in his sixties, and his critics are different. Once, cultural and artistic figures, then reformist politicians, and later followers and devotees of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and today the hardliners. Once in the Ministry of Culture, sometimes in the glass building of Jam-e Jam, and occasionally in the parliament.