I don't buy that. I'd engage Iran today, as is, without your pre-condition for this mysterious "positive response" that has been missing. We should have full diplomatic relations with them, student exchanges, US companies in their country doing business, and all the other trappings of inter-country sweetness that we have with partners such as Israel and Canada today, and the US should constantly treat Iranians as "our allies" in the way that we do Saudi Arabia today. That hasn't been tried - obviously.
All these other countries have refrained from certain discourtesies, like killing our soldiers, kidnapping our diplomats, etc. We don't demand much, as our relations with Saudi Arabia show, but there are certain very minimal standards. Iran doesn't meet them. I don't know about your relations, but would you offer gifts to someone who responds to all greetings by kicking you in the teeth?
Allying ourselves with Iran today would be tantamount to saying, okay, so you kidnapped our diplomats, you are killing our soldiers, you declare your intention to destroy us and our ally Israel, you proudly declare that you sponsor terrorists everywhere and will use them, but what the hey, we like it! We'll bend over and take it some more!
Not only would this get contempt mixed with religious euphoria from Iran, the rest of our allies would run away from us as well. |
