VZCZCXRO5664
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK
DE RUEHDIR #0038/01 1441541
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P R 241541Z MAY 07
FM IRAN RPO DUBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0129
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 0079
RUEHAD/USDAO ABU DHABI TC
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 0113
RUEHDIR/IRAN RPO DUBAI 0122

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 IRAN RPO DUBAI 000038 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
LONDON FOR GAYLE; PARIS FOR WALLER; BERLIN FOR PAETZOLD; BAKU 
FOR HAUGEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  5/24/2017 
TAGS: PREL PGOV IR IZ PHUM
SUBJECT: SUPPORT DEEP IN IRAN FOR US TALKS, IN ONE VIEW 
(C-NE7-00968) 
 
REF: RPO DUBAI 0032 
 
RPO DUBAI 00000038  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Jillian L Burns, Director, Iran Regional Presence 
Office, Dubai, US Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (d) 
 
1.(S/NF)  Summary.  There is more support now in Iran for talks 
with the US than ever before, despite opposition from some 
pockets based on ideological and economic grounds, said an 
Iranian political scientist to IRPO Director May 24.  The 
academic claimed that a "successful" US-Iran meeting would 
require a deliverable for the Iranian side in order to avoid 
attacks back home but was less clear on what Iran was prepared 
to deliver.  The political scientist opined that agreement on 
the MEK or the Irbil 5 would be optimal but that a positive 
statement by the US government after the meeting would likely 
suffice.  The academic said it is possible that the recent spat 
of arrests of Iranian-Americans may be an attempt from one camp 
to kill the talks.  He predicted that Haleh Esfandiari would be 
released soon.  He reasoned the government will not want to 
further provoke the Iranian elite, who hold her in high regard, 
an argument than sounds more hopeful than realistic.  End 
Summary. 
 
Upcoming US-Iran talks - Why now? 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
2.(S/NF)  An Iranian political scientist discussed May 24 the 
upcoming US-Iran talks, the case of Halah Esfandiari, and 
internal political dynamics (latter subject to be reported 
septel) with IRPO Director.  The academic opined that there is 
more support now in Iran than ever before for talking with the 
US.  He indicated there was a wider realization within the 
government that only through the US can Iran resolve its 
security and economic issues.  Talking to Europe will get it 
nowhere.  Plus, the Iranian government has seen that US 
seriousness in its threat of a military strike - although it 
does not think the US would likely strike at the present time. 
It has also seen US resolve in confronting Iran in Iraq and 
forging an international coalition leading to UN Security 
Council resolutions.  Iran would prefer to avoid a third 
resolution, he said, for the psychological impact it would have 
at home.  In addition, he said, the Iranian government 
understands that its people want ties with the US and 
international links.  In particular, he said, the Iranian people 
see interaction with the US as the key to modernization.  The 
academic claimed that the Iranian people as a whole are very 
pro-American and still believe that - unlike European countries 
- the US can resolve the problems in the region.  Suspicions of 
both UK and Russian intentions still run high, he said.  For 
instance, he claimed that Iran would never seize US soldiers 
like it did the British soldiers because the Iranian public will 
believe Brits were acting illegally but would be less likely to 
believe this of Americans. 
 
3.(S/NF) As much as you can dislike President Ahmadi-Nejad's 
politics, said the professor, he presents a "new" opportunity 
for progress in bilateral relations because unlike his 
predecessor, Khatami, he is not afraid of anything.  If he wants 
to do something, he will.  No other president has written 
letters to a US president, for instance.  Nonetheless, he said, 
there remain some in Iran opposed to talks with the US -- either 
for ideological grounds or because they profit economically from 
the status quo -- who may try to torpedo any new openings.  He 
acknowledged this could be one motivation for the recent spat of 
arrests of Iranian-Americans, but also said that the government 
is truly afraid of efforts to orchestrate a velvet revolution 
there and seeks to intimidate its populace through arrests and 
crackdowns like the current one on bad hijab. 
 
4.(S/NF) The academic opined that in order for the talks to 
continue and to succeed, the Iranians must leave the meeting 
with some kind of deliverable.  Otherwise, hardliners opposed to 
talks will attack them for betraying national interests.  He 
said there is great concern about a rerun of Afghanistan, in 
which Iranians believe their "complete" cooperation with the US 
on Afghanistan was rewarded by the Axis-of-Evil designation. 
The academic thought this was why there was no meeting between 
the Secretary and Foreign Minister Mottaki in Sharm el-Sheikh. 
He said politicians are frightened for the sake of their careers 
to go back to Tehran empty-handed. 
 
5.(S/NF) When pressed by IRPoff to define what Iranians would 
 
RPO DUBAI 00000038  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
call a deliverable, the academic said that an agreement on the 
Mujahhadin-e Khalq (MEK) or release of the so-called Irbil 5 
would be optimal, but he realized that this may be too much to 
expect from a first meeting.  He added that there is complete 
realism on the Iranian side that resolution to a major issue 
like the nuclear issue is not achievable from such a meeting. 
The political scientist said that a positive statement from the 
US government about the May 28 meeting after its conclusion - 
preferably from the highest level -- would likely suffice for a 
first meeting.  He maintained that positive statements from the 
US on Iran get the largest number of hits on Iranian news 
websites, such as Baztab.  He added that such a statement could 
also touch on other areas, such as a restatement that the US 
wanted to resolve the nuclear issue diplomatically, even though 
the talks were focused solely on Iraq. 
 
6.(S//NF) Asked whether the Iranian government continues to view 
the MEK is a real threat, he answered not in its current state 
but it could be if it got a new foreign backer.  He repeated 
what all of our contacts say - that the MEK are seen as traitors 
in Iran for their cooperation with Iraq during the Iran-Iraq 
war.  On the Irbil 5, the academic said the fact that their 
families had been given permission to see the detainees had been 
viewed positively in Iran as an indication that the US was 
looking to resolve this issue.  When asked, he said the Iranian 
people see the detainees as an important issue and would be 
happy to see it resolved. 
 
7.(S/NF) When asked what kind of deliverable Iran could give the 
US in talks, the academic was vaguer.  He said that the sight of 
the US and Iran working together could help Iraqi PM Maliki 
enforce greater security in Iraq and that Iran could use its 
influence with Shia groups.  He maintained that Iran's primary 
goal in Iraq was national security, not religious interests. 
Above all, he said, Iran wanted to ensure that future Iraqi 
governments will not threaten Iran as Saddam Hussein's 
government had.  When asked how to address Arab concerns about a 
US-Iran meeting on Iraq, he essentially said that Arab countries 
should come to grips with reality.  He maintained that Iran is 
not a threat to the region but that at the same time, as long as 
there is instability in the Middle East, Iran will see an 
opportunity for itself to play a role.  The way to preempt Iran, 
indicated the academic, was for the US and Arabs to work to 
resolve the conflicts. 
 
8.(S/NF) The political scientist called on the US not to lose 
the support of the Iranian people.  He repeated what we hear 
from many - though not all - contacts.  He maintained that the 
Iranian people remain largely pro-US, but that a US attack would 
cause the Iranian people to turn against the US and rally around 
their government.  He maintained that Iranians are just trying 
to make the best of their situation and that they have no taste 
for upheaval, either brought about by external or internal 
forces. 
 
9.(S/NF) Comment:  The academic, who knows Haleh Esfandiari, 
said he believed she would be released soon.  He said that, 
compared to Ramin Jahanbegloo, Esfandiari has much closer ties 
to Iranian academics and their deep respect.  He reasoned that 
the Iranian government would not want to risk the anger from the 
Iranian elite that holding her for very long would engender. 
This view seems somewhat naove, given that the government never 
had the support of the Iranian elite and it seems unlikely it 
would care about alienating them further, but we hope his 
prediction comes true. 
BURNS