Many Americans For Iran-US Cooperation: Scholar

New York, Sept 25, IRNA – A professor of history at the University of Arizona believes there are numerous people in the United States who support establishment of relations between Tehran and Washington. David Gibbs also told IRNA that the US role in the 1953 coup has made the Iranian public pessimistic about the White House policies. "There are opposing factions in the US which are blocking expansion of bilateral relations," he said on prospects that the a cooperation between Iran and the US against the terrorist group Daesh can pave the way for improved bilateral relations. The author of "First Do No Harm: Humanitarian Intervention and the Destruction of Yugoslavia" said he would not be surprised on such a cooperation in future considering the past record of mutual support that Tehran and Washington had in regional crises such as Afghanistan. Despite of vast potentials for cooperation in the economic and international fields, he added, issues such as the 1953 coup and the unconditional support to the dictatorial regime of Shah remain the main sources of pessimism among Iranians. Gibbs added that there are yet prospects of reaching a comprehensive agreement between the two countries considering the signals that make such an agreement possible. Referring to the pressure of the internal factions on the US President Barack Obama as the main problem on the relations with Iran, he said, if the two countries can effectively cooperate against Daesh, Obama can use its outcomes as a powerful leverage to silence his American opponents and show more courage for reaching a broad agreement. A large number of American statesmen, he said, support the settlement of differences and reaching an agreement with Iran. " "With the new government in office in Iran and moderate stands of President Rouhani, this tendency has increased, the American scholar concluded./end