Three decades of Western and Arab engagement and accommodation with Iran’s Islamic regime have repeatedly produced the same pattern: each round of concessions has not moderated the regime’s behaviour, but instead given it time and space to rebuild and consolidate its power. What is now unfolding in Europe — particularly in Austria and Greece — and in several Arab capitals is merely the latest iteration of this old pattern.

The fundamental assumption behind appeasement-driven diplomacy is that conceding to some of Tehran’s demands will moderate the regime’s behaviour. Yet experience suggests precisely the opposite: each concession has served not as the end of one crisis, but as the prelude to the next.

In recent days, amid the US-Iran war and with the Strait of Hormuz effectively remaining closed,

the foreign ministers of Austria and Greece have spoken with Marco Rubio, Secretary of State in the Trump administration, in an effort to find a diplomatic path forward. At the same time, Pakistan and several other countries in the region have been seeking to mediate in pursuit of an accommodation with Tehran.

These contacts took place even though official statements from Washington made no reference to Iran. The foreign ministries of Austria, Greece and Iran, however, all confirmed that the war and efforts to bring it to an end were at the heart of the discussions.

Analysts view the European diplomatic activity as reflecting a desperate attempt at accommodation aimed at stopping the conflict rather than a formal mediation effort. As senior experts at the International Crisis Group have observed, all sides are essentially urging the two parties to “stop this dangerous game”. What is particularly noteworthy is that the European countries involved have significant regional interests of their own: Vienna because of its historic role in nuclear negotiations, and Athens because of its shipping interests in the Strait of Hormuz. They are therefore among those with the strongest economic incentives to favour a softer approach towards Tehran — an incentive critics........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)