The evening left me with two main impressions. The first is that any negotiations between Iran and the US will be difficult not only politically but culturally. The US and its partners have specific concerns, beginning with Iran’s nuclear programme and its support for militant groups in the Middle East. Iran is not thinking about specifics. Instead it seeks something more diffuse: respect, dignity, treatment as an equal member of the world community. This is a country that has been abused, humiliated and looted by foreign powers for 200 years. As Ahmadinejad repeatedly made clear, this has left deep scars. >>>
