The structural limitations of diplomacy with Iran
Bahraini commentator Ahmed Al-Qazai argues that Iranian diplomacy is based on systematic deception: agreements are meant to buy time, compliance is staged, and permanence is an illusion. The article reviews historical patterns of violations, including the 2015 nuclear deal, and warns against Western misinterpretation of Iran's actions as responses to external pressure.
Bahraini commentator Ahmed Al-Qazai, an expert fellow at the N7 initiative, analyzes in a guest article what he calls 'the structural limitations of diplomacy with Iran.' According to him, Tehran views international agreements as tactical pauses to buy time and ease economic pressure, not as permanent commitments. The article reviews a series of historical examples: the 1975 Algiers Agreement that was abandoned, the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal that allowed Iran to expand its missile program, the 1979 US embassy takeover, the 2011 attack on the British embassy, and an additional incident at the French embassy in July 2026. Al-Qazai warns against Western misinterpretation of Iran's actions as responses to sanctions and calls for independent verification of any future agreement and automatic sanctions for violations.