Iran-US Common Interests More Than Disputes

New York, Oct 28, IRNA – US former diplomat Frank Wisner has said that Iran-US common interests are more than their differences. Talking exclusively to IRNA, Wisner, former US ambassador to Egypt, said President Barack Obama’s reference to fatwa of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on production and use of nuclear weapons has signaled good will of the White House. There is a specific message in the US presidents remarks as every word and sentence of his speeches are chosen carefully, Wisner said. Stressing the need for amending US-Iran diplomatic ties, he said none of the two countries has ever eyed the soil of the other, neither have they had any territorial disputes. Iran and US needed to fill the 30-year-old gap, Wisner stressed noting that Washington had to recognize Iran’s position in the Middle East region and Tehran should, in return, recognize US interest in the region. Wisner is an Advisory Board member for the Partnership for a Secure America, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy. In 2013, it was announced that he joined the advisory board of Ergo, a global intelligence and advisory firm. He suggested that any step taken by Iran should be equally responded by the American side, adding, that would mean that both sides should take balanced and identical steps in order to avoid any problem. As Tehran starts removing concerns of Europe and US about its nuclear program, the West should simultaneously reduce and fully lift sanctions against that country, Wisner suggested. He stressed that Tehran and Washington should adapt a take-and-give approach in the course of amending their diplomatic ties. Wisner referred to the long-term distrust between Iran and US as the major obstacle in the way of restoring bilateral ties between the two capitals./end