At the heart of a period of increased tension, a rare agreement between Tehran and Washington has disturbed the succession of signs of escalation and the logic of confrontation that characterizes the relationship between the two capitals since the implementation by the Trump administration a "maximum pressure" campaign against the Islamic Republic.
The United States and Iran ended Saturday (December 7th) an exchange of prisoners which resulted in the release of Xiyue Wang, an American researcher jailed in Iran since 2016 for espionage, and Massoud Soleimani, university professor detained in the United States since October 2018. The latter, a recognized scientist, had been accused by the court of having violated US sanctions against Iran by trying to export growth hormones without a license.
Long prepared through a mediation from Switzerland that represents US interests in Tehran, these releases could they suggest a possible new phase of negotiation? In any case, that at least pretends to believe the American president, Donald Trump, whose enthusiasm about it cut Saturday with the usual tone of his stances on Iran. "It has been fantastic to show that we can accomplish something. It may be the precursor of what can be accomplished, he declared to the White House, after the announcement of the releases. "You see, we can reach an agreement together," had said earlier, on Twitter, the US president.
"Important moment"
For Mr. Trump, the opportunity was indeed too good to announce a positive result on Iran while, following the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018, its offensive policy vis-à-vis Tehran did not achieve the expected results. Iran maintains its regional influence despite its contestation and is illustrated by renewed aggression against Washington's allies.
The Islamic Republic is also increasing the imprisonment of foreigners and binational, such as French researchers Fariba Adelkhah and Roland Marchal, which it uses for purposes of diplomatic pressure. From Teheran's point of view, Saturday's releases are the result of a negotiation that was made in its terms, not a capitulation.
"This is an important moment because it is the first time that Iran and the Trump administration have managed to agree on something", However, Ali Vaez, director of Iran's International Crisis Group program, believes that the impact of the deal, its potential prelude to further negotiations on Tehran-Washington disputes, should not be ignored. overestimated.
