How the US destroyed its credibility

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized the American administration over the weekend, describing it as "arrogant" and "untrustworthy." Furthermore, according to Khamenei, the U.S. administration cannot be trusted because it is controlled by the "international Zionism network."

This is another brilliant ruse in which Tehran presents "disputes" within the Iranian leadership, while in fact, the Iranian regime is actually entirely in sync. After all, when Khamenei expresses himself in this way, it boosts (the moderate, we mustn't forget) President Hasan Rouhani's value in the "diplomatic markets" of the West. The voices in the West calling for relief in the sanctions on Iran will only get stronger, thinking that this is the only way to strengthen Rouhani and his supposedly liberal camp, who are willing to smile and even talk on the phone (even if that is "inappropriate" according to Khamenei). Anything, as long as they are able to continue advancing their nuclear program.

But the real story -- the true source of concern -- surrounding the Iranian issue is actually the American administration. There is no doubt that there are real disputes between Washington and Jerusalem over the sanctions and over forecasts of when Iran will reach the nuclear threshold. So before the historic resumption of talks between Iran and the U.S., the question must be asked: How does the Islamist regime in Tehran perceive the world's biggest superpower?

Steven R. Hurst, the Associated Press's Washington-based international political writer, wrote an analysis over the weekend that was less than flattering to the American administration, to say the least. According to Hurst, the administration has managed to deeply embarrass Washington's allies, from Egypt (deposed President Hosni Mubarak) to the Gulf (Bahrain, Saudi Arabia), and from the Syrian opposition to Jerusalem. But it doesn't stop there: The current economic crisis in the U.S., America's enormous debt and especially the shutdown of American public services have only served to diminish the value of the U.S. even further in the eyes of its allies in Asia and the Pacific. It is enough to see how openly concerned Australia and the Philippines are in the face of Beijing's growing power at the U.S.'s expense.

Quoting Germany's "influential newspaper" Süddeutsche Zeitung, Hurst writes that "at the moment, Washington is fighting over the budget and nobody knows if the country will still be solvent in three weeks. What is clear, though, is that America is already politically bankrupt." It is no wonder that America's friends are worried.

The fact that the U.S. is not entering dialogue from a position of power is very disconcerting, especially coupled with its many foreign policy failures. The American administration desperately needs a triumph, and it may very well compromise with Iran to achieve it.

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