US and Iran relations: A meeting with John Limbert

 

 

Have you ever had a really good friend a while back, and then things just blew up? You would see them in the hallways, and try to avoid eye contact? You felt this urge to talk to them, but it had been so long, and you just couldn’t bring yourself to do that, right? This analogy directly relates to the way our country felt with Iran.

 

To begin with, things were going great with US and Iran. We worked with Iran in the Atoms for Peace program, and we shared nuclear technologies with them constantly, like you and your friend would share homework answers. On New Year’s Eve, President Jimmy Carter stood beside the Shah and toasted him, saying, "Iran, because of the great leadership of the Shah, is an island of stability."

 

That “stability” lasted no longer than a year for Iran. In 1979, Iranian students took over the Tehran-based US Embassy after Iran overthrew the Shah, and held hostage 66 diplomats and US citizens for 444 days. These hostages were released minutes after President Reagan was sworn into presidency.

 

One of the hostages was a man named John Limbert and I had the honor of meeting him recently through my Model United Nations League of Creative Minds. I was able to have an interactive discussion with him and my fellow delegates.

 

I couldn’t have met Mr. Limbert at a better time. My meeting occurred just days before Washington made the nuclear deal with Iran and I got to hear his long-held view on our relationship with that country. I learned about the hardships and struggles, but, most of all, his feelings toward Iran.

 

Mr. Limbert dreamed that the US and Iran would resume talks, become like they were before, and normalize relations. Surprisingly, he wasn’t very upset with Iran, even after being kept hostage. He compared Iran to a cornered cat that would lash out very soon. He said that the rest of the world would have to play their cards out right with Iran. Mr. Limbert thought that if the US and Iran would become allies again; the international community would be able to tame the “lashing cat.” In 2014, this became a reality.

 

The US struck a historic nuclear deal Iran, in the most significant development between Washington and Tehran. This marks a milestone be-tween the two countries, bringing strength to the diplomatic relations which were shattered 34 years ago when Iran's Islamic revolution climaxed in the storming of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Since then, relations between the two countries have been rough … until the recent accord!

 

I think this nuclear deal was like killing 2 birds with one stone. By ensuring this deal, not only did we make the Middle East region safer, but the icy relationship with Iran has been thawed. Like a fresh layer of fallen snow, 2014 will eventually be known in history as the year of the accord. After all this, all I can think is: 34 years…wow, the US and Iran really take holding a grudge to a whole new level!