The Iranian Quandary

The Iranian Quandary. Though it sounds like the title to a Robert Ludlum novel, it is not an unreasonable appraisal of dealing with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Today, quickly following the meetings between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced the successful launch of Iran's Sejil-2 missile, a medium-to-long range missile with a 1200 - 2000 kilometer range, as reported by the Washington Post and Al-Jazeera.

It stands to reason that this new development in Iran's nuclear ambitions will give President Obama some pause in his efforts to engage the President Ahmadinejad and the Iranian regime. His pledge of Iranian engagement is commendable, and could prove to be a large step in bringing some improvement to the state of affairs in the Middle East. The adage 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer' has some bearing on his approach. In bringing Iran into the fray and improving relations between the two nations, regional stabilization and increased transparency could be yielded.

This policy, while garnering praise from certain elements, has also made the road slightly bumpier with others. During talks with President Obama, Prime Minister Netanyahu pleaded the case that Iran and its ambitious nuclear program must be dealt with before worrying about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. President Obama, it would appear, gently rebuffed this effort to change priorities, stating that "better relations with its Arab neighbors" would be beneficial to Israel, particularly in placing pressuring Iran with regard to its nuclear program (as reported by the Washington Post).

Yet another factor that will add to the question of how to deal with Iran is the forthcoming national election, to be held June 12th. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is set to share the ballot with four moderate candidates, following confirmation by the country's constitutional body today, according to Al-Jazeera. The moderate candidates have reportedly criticized Ahmadinejad for shunning the international community and alienating and isolating Iran. Depending on how elections play out in Iran, the Iranian quandary may improve, or, conversely, worsen.