Harvard Scholars Assess Iranian Nuclear Proposal

While many politicians and state department officials have expressed skepticism over the sincerity of Iran’s recent proposal to curb its nuclear development program, Harvard affiliates were more optimistic about the intentions behind the plan.

During discussions in Geneva on October 15 and 16, Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif outlined Iran’s new nuclear proposal to delegates from China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. While the full proposal has not been made available to the public, some state department officials released information about the proposal to the media under the condition of anonymity.

Robert J. Reardon, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, said that current information available about Iran’s presentation suggests that Iran is willing to restrain its nuclear program in exchange for a reduction in sanctions.

Rami G. Khouri, a senior fellow in the Middle East Initiative at the Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, said he was optimistic about negotiations moving forward.

“For the first time ever, there’s a serious political will from both sides to address the issue,” Khouri said.

While agreeing with the potential promise of the negotiations, Payam Mohseni, lecturer at the Kennedy School, said he was more reserved about the proposal’s execution.

“There are many factors on both sides that could spoil a deal,” Mohseni said. However, he added that he was still “cautiously optimistic” about the proposal.

Reardon said he was equally uncertain about the outcome of the negotiations.

“The two sides still have fundamental differences and their bargaining positions are mutually exclusive,” he said. “In order to get some movement on this, you’re going to have to do it in some small steps.”

Discussing why he felt this round of negotiations would be more productive than those in the past, Khouri pointed to new Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, who took office in August.

“[Rouhani] has great legitimacy and he’s worked on the nuclear issue before” Khouri said. “He’s made it clear that he wants a solution that’s fair to everybody.”

Mohseni said that he believes Rouhani also has a personal investment in the success of the negotiations.

“It’s more than just a nuclear deal to Rouhani,” Mohseni said. “He’s staked his reputation on this. For it to be insincere would not only ruin his international reputation, but delegitimize him domestically [as well].”

According to Nicole Abi-Esber, a student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences focusing on Middle East studies, the desire for negotiation ultimately stems from the Iranian public.

“With the Iranian people electing President Rouhani, they’ve kind of handed him a mandate to take [negotiations] further,” Abi-Esber said. “They’re sick of being international pariahs. They want to participate in the global community.”

Negotiations are set to continue November 7 and 8.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: Oct. 27, 2013

An earlier version of this article included an erroneous middle initial for Nicole Abi-Esber, who in fact does not have a middle initial.