The recent efforts in Tehran to normalize relations with Washington have been met with ‎cynicism by some opponents of the regime. By pointing to the events and conditions that ‎led Iran to accept UN Security Council cease-fire resolution #598 that ended the 8-year ‎Iran-Iraq war in 1988, these critics interpret the recent efforts to normalize relations with ‎the US to be a retreat for Iran from its “uncompromising” position and rhetoric, similar to ‎what happened during the last years of the war with Iraq.‎

It is now many years that Iran is hostage to the rivalry between the two major political ‎factions in the country, each vying to take the lead in normalizing relations with the US ‎and claim the accomplishment as its own in Iranian history, and unilaterally profit from ‎its benefits. But this race has been damaging. Not only have the factions not cooperated ‎in the necessity of normalization together, each has actually engaged in sabotaging the ‎efforts of the other.‎

Each faction has created a block to undermine any flexibility before it even emerged. ‎Every time flexibility was in the air, the other faction created obstacles and by inciting ‎the most radical elements and creating destructive opportunities, jumped into the arena of ‎foreign affairs and destroyed the initiative.‎

The opposition and critics - regardless of their creed or ideology however - feel a ‎different responsibility. At this sensitive time, while the world is under extra-ordinary ‎circumstances, and as conditions are being paved by ill-wishers for war, Iran’s policies ‎too are facilitating for war as it continue to believe that it’s policies are confronting the ‎war mongers.‎

Under the current circumstances, for what national benefit are some of the opponents of ‎the regime who have a reservoir of historic experience and political insight reminding the ‎leaders of the state of a past whose conditions no longer exist and who incite Iranian ‎extremists to overpower the efforts to normalize relations with the US? I am talking to all ‎those who repeatedly announce that the steps that Iran is taking towards negotiations are ‎signs of its defeat, and thus through such pronouncements send messages to advocates of ‎war and crises in Iran calling on them to shut the avenues to peace. Closing the avenues ‎of peace by critics and the opposition is precisely what Iranian war-mongers dream of.‎

If we love Iran, then we must either remain silent or encourage any efforts towards ‎flexibility and negotiations so that they continue their work and not abandon the path to ‎normalization. It contradicts the respect that the opposition and critics have earned ‎because of their love for Iran to belittle the policy of negotiations - which is a national ‎necessity – and thus reduce its importance and encourage the hardliners more and more to ‎attack this initiative.‎

The comparison of the current circumstances with those that existed when the Security ‎Council resolution 598 was accepted in fact distances the hardliners from the direction ‎that they want to follow and it is not clear what goals they are pursuing by repeatedly ‎making such a comparison. It is not clear what short-term hopes are these individuals and ‎groups encouraging the apparent and veiled hardliners to continue their relentless drive ‎towards war.‎