Reactions mixed in Iran to US-Cuba detente
While some Iranians hope that the US-Cuba rapprochement could lead to one with Iran, others believe there are more differences than similarities between the two situations.
On Dec. 17, following a year and half of secret talks between Washington and Havana, US President Barack Obama ordered the restoration of full diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba.
“It’s time for a new approach” with Cuba, Obama said in a televised statement. “These 50 years have shown that isolation does not work.”
The major policy shift in Washington, which ended more than half a century of US sanctions on the Caribbean nation, was quickly compared to the situation between Washington and Tehran, despite major differences between US-Iran and US-Cuba relations. Many articles and op-eds discussed whether the United States could adopt the same strategy toward Iran.
Here in Iran, many followed the diplomatic developments with interest, publishing their opinions over social media and exchanging views in online forums and chat rooms.
