Nofal Observator: Iran and the United States .. Secret channels to avoid war

While Iran and the United States reject any direct dialogue and tensions are rising every day, the two countries prefer to use indirect channels of communication to convey messages through intermediaries to find a way out of the diplomatic and economic confrontation, according to French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur.

In an article by Pablo Mingy, the magazine said the role of these intermediary countries is crucial because direct contacts are becoming increasingly scarce, especially after the July 31 sanctions imposed by the Americans on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Republican Senator Rand Paul met with Javad Zarif in New York City in mid-July on the sidelines of the Iranian minister's visit to the United Nations and invited him to the White House with the blessing of President Donald Trump. Led to sanctions against him.

Until then, Zarif had a key role in mediating between Washington and Tehran, as well as between "moderates" and "conservatives" in Iran, says former French ambassador to Iran Francois Nicolas. "Despite sanctions, I don't understand how the United States can exclude Zarif," he said. Fully, he is someone who cannot be surpassed. "

Countries such as Switzerland and Oman play the role of historical mediator in the context of the crisis. “Oman's political tradition is to take the place of mediator. Oman, for example, broke the stalemate between the Iranians and the Americans in 2011-2012 and contributed significantly to the implementation of the nuclear agreement on Iran in 2015 ".

Clement Term, a specialist in Iran and a researcher at the Center for Political Science Research, said Switzerland officially represents the interests of Americans in Iran. "The Swiss are Washington postmen, and their mission is to pass messages as they master it by virtue of what is known about their secrets."

But for former ambassador to Iran Francois Niccolo, Switzerland is limited to the negative role of the transmission channel. "Switzerland cannot do more than just deliver messages. I think other countries are trying hard to play an active role like France," said Clement Term. It has the capacity to mediate because it is an integral part of the conflict. "

"Paris is making speeches, but it is gradually moving in the direction of supporting the Trump administration, while mediation requires independence. It is very much tied to the United States, which does not allow it to be an effective mediator," said Term.

Niccolo has been optimistic about the role France can play since President Emmanuel Macron sent his diplomatic adviser Emmanuel Bonn to Tehran in early July. "The French and the Iranians are talking among themselves, but what we need now is for Paris to succeed," the writer says. In convincing Trump. "

The former French ambassador believes that the Europeans, despite their division, are in a better position to play the role of mediator in the current crisis, especially after Macron put forward a proposal on the table that deeply affects the Iranian missile program, as part of the negotiations to save the nuclear deal.