Iran and the U.S have a deal, but don’t expect Rouhani and Obama to shake on it

It was a serene and confident Iranian President Hassan Rouhani who strode into the room of editors, anchors and columnists this morning to take his seat at the head of a U-shaped table behind a cascade of white flowers. And no wonder. As he reminded us, at this gathering a year ago the discussion had been all about whether negotiations between Iran and the “P5+1” world powers could lead to a deal limiting Iran’s nuclear program and lifting economic sanctions in return. And succeed they did.

“The atmospherics are somewhat different than last year.” Rouhani said. The question is, “whether the accomplishments thus far can be used as a road map to agreement on other issues.”

Specifically, he said, Iran wants to see if the agreement is implemented or whether “road blocks” are thrown up, a clear reference to ongoing Republican efforts in Congress to hamstring President Obama’s power to lift nuclear-related sanctions. “We shall see,” he said.

The carrot Rouhani dangled is one he’s held out before: that the July 14 nuclear agreement could open the door to U.S.-Iranian cooperation on other issues, especially on resolving the conflict in Syria and defeating what he called the “savage, inhuman, sub-human” Islamic State.

But first, he said, the Iranian people have to be convinced that the diplomatic path they took on the Iran deal bore fruit.

It was a warning, but also an admission of the constraints on his power. Rouhani — elected in 2013 on a campaign pledge to end Iran’s isolation from the world and get out from under crippling sanctions — now has to deliver. Not only to the Iranian people, but to domestic hard-liners long suspicious and even hostile to the talks, including the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

So for now, he said cooly, there’s no reason to have a meeting or photo-op handshake with President Obama around the edges of the U.N. General Assembly this coming week. “Before talking about meetings or handshakes,” he said, “we should focus on … on those issues important to both countries and trying to find a solution.”

The most obvious and intractable issue is the ongoing tragedy in Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad is fighting the Islamic State terrorists, but also all opposition to his rule. The Obama administration has insisted Assad has to go and a transitional government be formed, before it’s possible to defeat ISIS in Syria.

But Rouhani poured cold water on expectations that the two countries would see eye to eye anytime soon. He readily acknowledged that Iranian military personnel are there, actively helping Assad. And he embraced the same view as the Russians — who just stepped up their military involvement there. “If we want to fight terrorists in Syria, we cannot do so while weakening the central government in Syria,” he said.

So does the Iranian deal herald the dawn of a new era in U.S.-Iranian relations?

“We can point to the tangibles, the many steps forward,” Rouhani said. “But there is a long road to travel.”

A long road indeed.