Are you sure?
This bookmark will be removed from all folders and any saved notes will be permanently removed.
Eye on the World: cooperation between Iran and the world
The historically frosty relationship between Iran and Western powers, including the United States, could be warming up. News agencies reported an upbeat mood among officials and diplomats as Iran began a round of talks at the United Nations on Tuesday, offering to limit its nuclear development in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. UN negotiators want Iran to take steps that will ensure it is never able to make nuclear weapons; Iran says it wants nuclear power only for peaceful purposes. The country’s newly-elected president, Hassan Rouhani, generally viewed as a moderate politician, has said he wants a deal within six months. Last month Rouhani made a phone call to US president Barack Obama, the first between American and Iranian presidents in a generation.
We can all pray for honest, constructive relations between countries. And we can pray about the relationship between Iran and the international community in a way that’s clear-eyed and productive.
First, it’s helpful to remember that all of humanity is truly united under the government of one good God. “‘Have we not all one Father?’” explains how starting our prayers from this standpoint can pave the way for healing responses to everything from dinner-table disagreements to international relations issues. As we glimpse the pattern of divine harmony in our own thoughts and lives, it’s no stretch to expect to see it reflected in diplomatic negotiations, as well.
“A kilim and prayer for Iran” explains how spiritual receptivity and the desire to reflect divine beauty further unites humanity, including Iranians and Americans alike. The author’s kilim — a Persian rug woven by his Iranian neighbor — is a reflection of this humble desire, and he explains how it helped him to think of everyone, regardless of nationality, as part of God’s flock.
Finally, this article, simply titled “Negotiating,” can be helpful as we pray about nuclear conferences and other forms of diplomatic negotiation. It explains how a picture of a “plurality of minds” can be replaced, through prayer, with a recognition that there can’t be more than one God, one Mind, with a perfect agenda. As we insist on that fact, we can expect to see peaceful solutions emerge on the international stage, and fears of hostility between countries melt away.