TEHRAN, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Despite the recent prisoner exchange between Iran and the United States, analysts in Iran are underscoring that mutual distrust, entrenched over decades, continues to be a significant hurdle in improving bilateral relations.
On Sept. 18, Iran and the U.S. swapped a total of 10 prisoners, with each side freeing five individuals, as part of an agreement brokered by Qatar. Alongside the prisoner exchange, Iranian funds worth around 6 billion U.S. dollars, previously frozen in South Korean banks by Washington, were also released.
Abas Aslani, a Tehran-based expert on Iran's foreign policy, acknowledged that the prisoner exchange has fostered a relatively positive atmosphere and laid the groundwork for discussions on other matters. Yet, he emphasized that distrust and disparities between the two countries persist.
Aslani explained that the root of this persistent mistrust goes back decades. Tehran's "skepticism," especially considering Washington's actions like the unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), remains a big challenge.
Iran signed the JCPOA with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to put some curbs on its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions on the country. The U.S., however, pulled out of the deal in May 2018 and reimposed its unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to drop some of its nuclear commitments under the deal.
The talks on the revival of the JCPOA began in April 2021 in Vienna, Austria. Despite several rounds of talks, no significant breakthrough has been achieved since the end of the last round in August 2022.
Aslani noted that Tehran's insistence on the U.S. guarantees of commitment to any potential nuclear agreement and verifiable sanctions relief demonstrates its skepticism toward Washington, which has deepened since the JCPOA's signing.
The expert also predicted that Iran will approach any new agreement with the U.S. with heightened caution despite the prisoner swap.
Rahman Qahremanpour, former director of the arms control group at the Center for Strategic Research of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council and a political analyst, said that while distrust remains, it is not insurmountable.
Qahremanpour noted that confidence-building measures adopted between Iran and the U.S. in 2015 helped reduce distrust, culminating in the nuclear deal. However, he also pointed out that Iran and the U.S. achieving a new agreement has become more challenging than in the past. ■
