Iranian Postponement Tactics

The Obama administration announced earlier this week that it had achieved a breakthrough with the Iranian government and reached an agreement over its nuclear program. But in the days between then and now, Iran's Deputy Speaker of Parliament declared the Geneva agreement unacceptable. This afternoon, Iran chose to delay an official acceptance of the agreement, instead offering a counter proposal that falls far short of the demands that the US, France, and Russia had set on the table.

It's not as easy as it may seem to decipher Iran's motives in making such a decision. To many, it appears as if the regime is once again engaging in similar postponement tactics that it has used in the past. This may be partly motivated by an attempt to gauge just how hard Obama will push back. At the same time, however, Iran may feel uneasy about the prospect of depending on the Russians (whose allegiance to the Islamic Republic is motivated more by power and influence than by friendship) or French for nuclear fuel. Iran's experience with foreign powers on whom it has depended upon in the past has been far from rosy, and the regime may be hoping that it can tire the West down enough to prevent any meaningful action (and consensus) over its nuclear program.