The potential success of the US Congress in sinking the Iran nuclear deal, which the lawmakers are currently reviewing to ultimately approve or reject, would be a "blunder" of huge dimensions, a former nuclear negotiator said.
Hossein Mousavian said, "Arguably the most tragic consequence of Congress killing the deal would be that it would eliminate the prospect for greater US-Iran cooperation in the region on areas of mutual concern.
"It would lock in continued enmity between the United States and Iran, serving only to exacerbate tension and conflict across the Middle East."
"To go down this path when such a mutually advantageous alternative exists would truly be a blunder of historic proportions," he wrote in an article for the Huffington Post published on Friday .
Congress is considering the July 14 nuclear accord clinched between Iran and the US administration and those of other major powers and will hold a vote on a resolution of disapproval by September 17.
The resolution, if passed, could face a promised presidential veto. To override such a veto, the lawmakers opposed to the deal would need to muster the support of at least two-thirds of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
***Dawn of New Age
Mousavian highlighted the mutual merits of the accord, saying it prevented a possible war with grave consequences.
"With this historic deal at hand, the dawn of a new age of relations between Iran and the United States is within sight. It was not too long ago when tensions over the Iranian nuclear program had come to a head and the specter of a disastrous war loomed on the horizon."
A major benefit of the deal, according to Mousavian, was that it has provided for a rare rapprochement between Tehran and Washington, arch foes since the overthrow of former US-backed dictator Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1979, which could lay the groundwork for broader cooperation on issues of mutual concern, despite "numerous obstacles".
"This agreement sets the stage for broader cooperation between Iran and the United States. Peace between Iran, a regional power, and the United States, a global superpower, would allow the two states to cooperate against their common adversaries, namely the [militant] groups plaguing the region such as the Islamic State, al Qaeda and the Taliban."
"Iran is an instrumental force leading the fight on the ground against these groups in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, and can be the United States' most effective partner in combating them," the former diplomat commented.
Mousavian noted that improvement in Tehran-Washington ties could, in turn, significantly contribute to the establishment of a "regional" cooperation platform which would hold great potential for promotion of peace and stability in the region.
"Peace between Iran and the United States can also clear the path for a regional cooperation grouping that provides security and stability to the Persian Gulf and ensures peace between Iran and its neighbors, most importantly Saudi Arabia."
"Such a development would secure the stable supply of hydrocarbons from the Persian Gulf and help end proxy wars consuming the region today. It would allow the United States to gradually withdraw from the region, saving it billions of dollars and allowing it to rededicate its resources and attention to more pressing concerns," he concluded.
