US embassy cable - 04YEREVAN934

C O N F I D E N T I A L YEREVAN 000934 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, AM, IR 
SUBJECT: FM OSKANIAN DISCUSSES VISIT TO IRAN; GOI POSITIONS 
ON IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN, AND NUCLEAR ENERGY 
 
Classified By: Ambassador John Ordway for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (C) Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian discussed his April 
11-12 visit to Iran with Ambassador April 13, providing 
details on his meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister 
Kharrazi.  According to Oskanian, Kharrazi said that Iran is 
not supporting Shia insurgents in Iraq and feels the current 
situation in the country "will get worse."  Oskanian told us 
Kharrazi also said he believes that Pakistan has not been a 
full partner in the war on terror and that the Taliban are 
"making a comeback" in Afghanistan.  Kharrazi further told 
Oskanian that Iran's pursuit of nuclear technology is 
peaceful and part of a five-year plan to boost domestic 
energy production.  End Summary. 
 
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IRAQ 
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2. (C) Oskanian told the Ambassador that Foreign Minister 
Kharrazi told him that the Shia in Iraq had not requested 
assistance from Iran.  Oskanian said he had "the impression" 
that Iran is in contact with the militant Shia groups. 
Oskanian told us that Kharrazi indicated that the United 
States had not asked for Iran's assistance in quelling the 
Shia insurgency, but could provide help if asked.  Oskanian 
said Kharrazi believes that the situation in Iraq "will get 
worse" and that Iran does not see how the current conflict 
will "soon die down."  Oskanian said he spoken with several 
senior Iranian officials, including one from the intelligence 
service, who said they hoped that American forces should stay 
in Iraq "for a while" to provide stability in the region, but 
stick to the June 30 timetable to transfer authority to a new 
Iraqi government.  With a successful transfer of power, 
Kharrazi told Oskanian, the insurgents' position could be 
undercut.  Senior Iranian officials also told Oskanian that 
they were prepared to help with the reconstruction of Iraq to 
include energy, transportation and road projects, and 
emphasized that they could achieve positive results in Iraq 
if asked. 
 
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AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN 
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3. (C) Oskanian said he spoke briefly with Kharrazi about the 
situation Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Oskanian told the 
Ambassador that the Iranians believe that the Taliban is 
"making a comeback" in Afghanistan.  According to Oskanian, 
Kharrazi also said that Pakistan "is closing its eyes to a 
lot of issues" and "is not being forthcoming" in all it knows 
about terrorist activities. 
 
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NUCLEAR ISSUES 
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4. (C) Oskanian told the Ambassador that he spoke at length 
with Kharrazi about Iran's pursuit of nuclear energy 
technology.  Kharrazi assured Oskanian that the construction 
of nuclear facilities is purely peaceful and part of a 
five-year plan to boost domestic energy consumption. 
Kharrazi told Oskanian that Iran currently exports half of 
the oil it produces, but within two years production could 
barely satisfy domestic demand.  Kharrazi said that Iran 
intends to become less dependent on domestic oil production, 
and the building of nuclear power plants is part of this goal 
along with the construction of 80 new hydroelectric projects. 
 
5. (U) Minimize considered. 
ORDWAY