Iran’s President asked the pope to “pray for me” at the conclusion of a 40 minute private meeting at the Vatican. The first meeting between a President of Iran and the head of the Catholic Church since 1999 is only a small part of President Hassan Rouhani’s 4 day visit to Europe. Here is what you need to know:
The visit
The political leader of Iran is in Europe to drum up international investment and show that he is comfortable dealing with Western leaders after the international nuclear deal lifted sanctions against his country.
Rouhani has 120 people with him as he visits Italy and France.
The business opportunities
Iran could be a lucrative market for a wide range of business. The nation has specifically expressed interest in new airplane purchases.
Reports indicate that many European firms are actively seeking business deals in Iran. Italy announced about €17 billion euros ($18.4 billion USD) in business deals during the visit. Rouhani is on his way to France next where there are more business deals expected to be announced.By comparison, the US government has put a damper on enthusiasm by American companies by keeping some of the nation’s sanctions intact.
Relations with the US
“I would like to see the Americans set aside their hostility and choose another way, but inside the US there are some problems, there is no unified voice,” Rouhani told a news conference.
“It’s possible that Iran and the United States might have friendly relations. But the key to that is in Washington’s hands, not Tehran’s,” he added.
Peace in Syria
President Rouhani spoke out on the need to build peace in the region but asserted that his nation must play a central and active role in any process.
“The Americans know very well that when it comes to important regional issues they cannot achieve anything without Iran’s influence or say.” Iran is a major ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has made its belief that he should stay in power after the end of the deadly fighting that has continued for years.
This position has complicated international negotiations to end the crisis as many inside the US do not want Iran involved at all, and the opposition parties involved in the fighting demand Assad leave power as part of any peace efforts.
On regional rival Saudi Arabia
The leader of Iran used news conference as an opportunity to criticize their regional rival Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia recently cut diplomatic ties with Iran because of a political dispute over Saudi Arabia’s controversial execution of a Shi’ite Muslim cleric (Bonus explainer: Saudi Arabia is a Sunni nation while Iran is a Shi’ite nation).
The loss of diplomatic ties is only the latest part of a long standing “cold war” that has seen the two nations engage in proxy battles in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
“Saudi Arabia has been bombing the impoverished people of Yemen for 10 months and has not achieved anything,” Rouhani said. “It is angry because of its failures.”
Ending extremism
Pope Francis specifically asked Rouhani to help promote peace and stop the spread of terrorism in the region.
“If we want to combat extremism in the world, if we want to fight terror, one of the roads before us is providing growth and jobs. Lack of growth creates forces for terrorism. Unemployment creates soldiers for terrorists,” Rouhani answered in his press conference.
What’s next?
Rouhani expressed confidence that Italy’s Prime Minister would visit Iran in the coming months. A visit like this would be a huge indication of warming ties.
Is this good or bad news?
After the lifting of the sanctions against Iran, a trip that results in business deals worth billions of euros must be considered a success. Further, one of the major concepts behind the nuclear deal was to engage Iran in the global economy and discourse over regional and international issues.
Iran’s President is taking full advantage and showing his ability to sound reasonable on the global stage.
This may help to ease tensions but many people still remain skeptical--notably many US Republicans and members of Congress.
It remains to be seen if Iran can remain stable and open enough to execute the business deals announced on this trip and if President Rouhani’s words about ending extremism and contributing to peace will be more than just rhetoric.
Good or bad, it’s still important
Peace and security are needed to create environments where people can rise out of poverty. In a region with millions of people living in extreme poverty (and a lot more living very close to it), a regional leader like Iran committing to peace and economic development is an important step towards ending extreme poverty by 2030.