"The consequences of a possible military confrontation . . . are so heavy that everyone is trying all other options to find a solution," said Saeed Leylaz, an Iranian analyst and newspaper editor. "The Iran-U.S. crisis is spinning out of control. Tehran is willing to buy time in the coming four months to avoid a crisis."
Assad arrived in Tehran on Saturday for what a newspaper close to the Iranian leadership described as "sensitive negotiations" with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Ahmadinejad over Iran's nuclear program, as well as policy in Lebanon, Iraq and Israel.
The Syrian leader also came to relay a request by French President Nicolas Sarkozy that Iran respond favorably to the multinational proposal to start preliminary talks.
"He came here to convey the message of the French president," said an Iranian foreign policy advisor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the Western media. "It is absurd because, at maximum, he can convey this message that the threat of the West is serious, which already is known to Iran."
Assad was quoted Sunday by Iranian television as calling Iran's enrichment program in pursuit of nuclear energy "an inalienable right."
Still, Assad's visit could precede a softening of the Iranian stance on the enrichment issue, analysts said, with credit going to Damascus rather than to Western pressure.
Diplomats and officials in Tehran say Iran has warmed to a proposal, dubbed "freeze for freeze," to stop adding new uranium-enriching centrifuges in exchange for a freeze on new economic sanctions during a period of pre-negotiations. Despite a statement by Ahmadinejad last month that Iran had more than 5,000 centrifuges running, officials say Iran has not added new centrifuges in months.
"Iran has accepted the idea of 'freeze for freeze,' but it does not make it public because of national pride," said a former Iranian diplomat still close to foreign policy circles.
"Iran does not want to fall in the trap laid by the Europeans. If it says publicly it accepts 'freeze for freeze,' the Europeans would take it one step ahead."
Solana and Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili are scheduled to speak today by phone, the London daily Independent reported Sunday.
Assad also came to Tehran to discuss ongoing talks between Syria and Israel, negotiations that Iran looks upon unfavorably but has not strongly opposed. Iranian foreign policy experts say Syria would coordinate any improved ties with the Jewish state with Tehran, which considers Israel an illegitimate state.
"On the whole, Iran and Syria are in unison, and before making any important decision, the other country should be consulted," said Ali Kadkhodazadeh, editor of the Middle East desk at Hamshahri, a conservative newspaper.
Syrian officials now worry that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's upcoming exit amid a corruption scandal might herald an end to rapprochement with the Jewish state. Iranians and Syrians are also concerned about the ascendance of Israeli politicians such as Ehud Barak or Benjamin Netanyahu, whom they perceive as more likely to start a war against Iran or Syria.
When "Olmert resigns, the process of peace talks and negotiation over the [Israeli-occupied] Golan Heights will be murky and unclear once again," said Davoud Hermidas-Bavand, a foreign policy expert in Tehran.
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daragahi@latimes.com
Time staff writer Daragahi reported from Beirut and special correspondent Mostaghim from Tehran.
