A promising moment in Iran

The election of Hassan Rohani as Iran’s next president creates an opportunity to move forward on a negotiated agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program and to begin to repair three decades of hostility with the United States and the question is whether Mr. Rohani and President Obama have the political skill and courage to make it happen, the New York Times said in an editorial published on June 17.
Mr. Rohani, a cleric, has deep roots in the conservative establishment, but he is also pragmatic. His campaign pledge to work to end the impasse with the West over the nuclear issue and the sanctions, imposed because of the impasse, resonated with voters fed up with economic problems.

During his first news conference on June 17, Mr. Rohani promised to “follow the path of moderation” and allow greater openness over the nuclear program. But he also restated Iran’s refusal to halt uranium enrichment as the United Nations Security Council has demanded.

Until the inauguration of the new Iranian president in August, American officials, with the other major powers, should be prepared to put forward a comprehensive proposal that aims to halt Iran’s sensitive nuclear activities, gradually lift sanctions and address other issues in which Iran plays a role, like the conflicts in Afghanistan and Syria.

President Obama will have to persuade Congressional leaders and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel that it is necessary and possible to reach a credible deal with Iran.

Sanctions were never supposed to be an end in themselves but a tool to facilitate a deal, and Mr. Obama has done a good job of ratcheting up the pressure. With Mr. Rohani’s election, Mr. Obama should respond with more creative diplomatic engagement. It is a chance neither he nor Mr. Rohani can afford to squander.