An Offer Worth Exploring

Iran’s President Mohammed Khatami has proposed a “thoughtful dialogue” with the United States, and President Clinton has answered that he would like nothing better. This is the most conciliatory exchange between the two countries since Iran’s Islamic revolutionary regime seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran 18 years ago and held most of its staff captive for 444 days. What happens next depends almost entirely on how Iran’s powerful America-hating ayatollahs react. If they denounce Khatami’s initiative, that will be the end of it. If they say nothing, it could signal their tacit approval or it could mean that the moderate president’s enemies are simply waiting until he commits himself further before forcing him to retreat in humiliation. If the chance for a real dialogue does emerge, Washington should move cautiously, not because better relations are undesirable but because a too-enthusiastic response could be counterproductive and hurt Khatami. The new president has a strong base of popular support, as the 70% of the vote he got last May in Iran’s first truly contested election shows, and there is abundant anecdotal evidence that many Iranians are eager for better relations with the United States. But the unelected mullahs who dictate most of Iran’s internal and foreign policies have their own priorities. Foremost is preserving their own authority. Claiming the “Great Satan” as an enemy is an important prop to that authority. There is plenty to talk about with Tehran. Iran’s involvement with terrorism--including the bombing in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 Americans--is high on the agenda. So are its acquisition of weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles. Iran always denies any role in terrorism and insists that it arms only to deter its enemies, led by the United States. Some points of friction between the two countries can be finessed. Some clearly cannot be. The long estrangement, as Clinton noted, has not benefited either country. For both, improved relations offer strategic, economic and political advantages. That’s a goal well worth exploring.