Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06DUBAI4109
2006-07-03 15:00:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Dubai
Cable title:  

IRAN FORMS NEW FOREIGN RELATIONS STRATEGIC COUNCIL (FRSC)

Tags:  IR PREL PGOV ZP 
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VZCZCXRO8167
RR RUEHBC RUEHKUK
DE RUEHDE #4109/01 1841500
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 031500Z JUL 06
FM AMCONSUL DUBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1915
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 1610
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 4889
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBAI 004109 

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/2/2016
TAGS: IR PREL PGOV ZP
SUBJECT: IRAN FORMS NEW FOREIGN RELATIONS STRATEGIC COUNCIL (FRSC)

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CLASSIFIED BY: Jillian L. Burns, Acting Consul General, Dubai,
UAE.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)


C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBAI 004109

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/2/2016
TAGS: IR PREL PGOV ZP
SUBJECT: IRAN FORMS NEW FOREIGN RELATIONS STRATEGIC COUNCIL (FRSC)

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CLASSIFIED BY: Jillian L. Burns, Acting Consul General, Dubai,
UAE.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



1.(C) Summary: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
created a new 5-man foreign policy advisory committee June 25,
called the Foreign Relations Strategic Council (FRSC). With an
experienced team headed by former Foreign Minister Kharrazi, the
FRSC will reportedly prepare macro foreign policy strategies and
present them directly to the Supreme Leader for approval, then
implementation. It is unclear what influence the FRSC will have,
but the composition of the council's members and recent
statements by Kharrazi, current and former officials, and
state-run media outlets suggest the FRSC could play an important
role in Iran's future foreign policy strategy. The formation of
the council may indicate that Khamenei is seeking more influence
over the Ahmadinejad administration's relatively inexperienced
and confrontational Foreign Ministry. Contacts, however, have
dismissed its import. End Summary.

The FRSC's Makeup
--------------

2.(U) On June 25 Supreme Leader Khamenei created the FRSC,
appointing previous FM Kamal Kharrazi (1997-2005) as its chief.
The FRSC's five members will serve five-year terms. The other
members are: Khamenei's top international affairs advisor and
former FM Ali Akbar Velayati (1981-1997),former Revolutionary
Guard Rear Admiral and Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani, former
Commerce Minister Mohammad Shariatmadari, and the FRSC's only
cleric, Mohammad-Hossein Taremi-Rad, an alumnus of the hardline
Haqqani Seminary, who served as Iran's ambassador to China and
Saudi Arabia and has headed the Iranian Center for Historical
Studies since May 1997.

Correcting Foreign Policy "Deficiency"
--------------

3.(U) Citing the Baztab news agency, the newspaper Mardom-Salari
reported Supreme Leader Khamenei first spoke about creating an
expert foreign policy council in a meeting with former President
Khatami last year. According to state-run media, Khamenei
created the FRSC, "to improve the country's power at making
major decisions in the field of foreign affairs." Kharrazi
explained that Iran's foreign policy-making process suffered
from a "deficiency." Namely, the Expediency Council (EC) would
craft foreign policies and present them to the Khamenei, but
after he approved them, "there was no strategy based on which
they could be implemented" by executive organs. The FRSC,
therefore, will prepare political, economic, cultural, defense,
and intelligence strategies for the supreme leader. The members

will consult government, private-sector, and academic foreign
affairs specialists, including members of Iran's three other
foreign policy-making bodies: the EC, Supreme Council for
National Security (SCNS),and the Foreign Ministry. According to
Kharrazi, once the supreme leader approves the strategies, the
executive branch will implement them. The FRSC does not itself
have executive powers. (Comment: This process sounds similar to
those already in place for the EC and SCNS. Kharrazi did not
detail how they might be substantively different. End Comment)

Reactions to the FRSC
--------------

4.(U) The Mehr News Agency reported reactions to the FRSC on
June 27. Its own story claimed the FRSC's creation "marked a
turning point in Iran's foreign policy which can open new
horizons to Tehran's relations with other countries." The story
highlighted the FRSC's "skilled veterans" and quoted MP Elyas
Naderan of the Majles Energy Committee as saying, "We needed
experienced people to consult executive branch officials on
foreign relations." Elyas added the FRSC can assist the SCNS and
the Foreign Ministry with Iran's nuclear diplomacy. Veterans
from the previous government saw the return of some of their
colleagues as a positive development. Former Vice-President
Mohammad-Ali Abtahi said Kharrazi's appointment continues Iran's
"detente" policy, and former Interior Minister Abdolvahed Musavi
Lari said the FRSC will organize Iran's diplomatic affairs and
strengthen its foreign relations. In a hopeful and positive
editorial July 1, Seda-ye Edalat described Kharrazi's
appointment as "a reminder of good days for Iran's diplomatic
apparatus." It cautioned that the FRSC does not have executive
powers and is just an advisory body, but "one has to wait and
see what Kharrazi can achieve in his new capacity."

5.(U) Ahmadinejad administration spokesmen welcomed the FRSC's

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creation, saying it would buttress Iran's foreign policy
establishment. They stressed the FRSC's advisory role and its
lack of executive powers. Presidential spokesman Gholam-Hossein
Elham said the council would not interfere with the Foreign
Ministry or SCNS.

Samii: 3 Possible Reasons for FRSC's Creation
--------------

6.(U) In an article for Radio Free Europe June 29, Bill Samii
suggested three reasons why Khamenei created the FRSC. First,
Khamenei might want "to balance the brash and inexperienced
foreign affairs apparatus of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad with
the more measured input of elder statesmen." Samii argued that
Ahmadinejad's FM, Manouchehr Mottaki, is relatively young for
his post at 53, and Ahmadinejad's ambassadorial and Foreign
Ministry appointments have been inexperienced and "viewed as
disruptive," unnecessarily harming Iran's relations with other
countries. Second, Khamanei disagrees with the administration as
a whole, and the FRSC will rein in its undesirable foreign
policy tendencies. Third, Khamenei wanted to create a back
channel for foreign policy, especially over the nuclear issue.

Fourth Option: Cushy Retirements
--------------

7.(C) Assessments from Iranian contacts have been less forward
reaching. Two contacts who follow Iranian politics closely said
they doubted the council would exert much influence. Both said
it was likely just another glorified posting to park the old
guard. One contact, a Tehran-based business consultant, heard
the supreme leader is unhappy with some of the actions of the
president and possibly worried about the damage the president
could do to the country. Nonetheless, this contact suspected the
FRSC would soon fade from view -- similar to the new oversight
powers the supreme leader bestowed on the EC.

8.(C) Comment: The timing of the supreme leader's announcement
about the FRSC -- while Iran ponders its response to the P5+1
nuclear package -- gives credence to reports suggesting Khamenei
created the council as part of a larger internal power struggle.
Policy decisions in Iran are reportedly made on the basis of
consensus, and the confrontational tendencies of Ahmadinejad and
others in his camp may be making consensus harder to reach,
particularly on a key issue such as Iran's nuclear program. If
MP Elyas is correct and the FRSC gets involved with nuclear
strategy, it could mark an attempt by Khamenei to shift Iran
back to a more diplomatic approach. As far as we know, however,
Larijani and the SCNS still have the lead on the nuclear issue.
BURNS

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