Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. (Reuters)

By Ahmed Fathy, IOL Stuff

CAIRO, September 19, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – The apparent closure of North Korea 's nuclear problem with the West is not likely to put heavy pressures on Iran , but it may give the West an edge over the Islamic Republic, in the short time at least, in their ongoing nuclear stand-off, analysts told IOL Monday, September 19.

"Iran 's case is largely different from North Korea's. Iran has big international coalitions and strong ties with many key players in the West. So, I do not think the Korean move would have major negative effects on Tehran's negotiating position," Mostafa Al-Labbad, an expert in Iranian Affairs, told IOL.

Al-Labbad, editor-in-chief of Sharq Nama Magazine – specialized in Iranian, Turkish and Minor Asia affairs, added that “Iran will not follow the steps of North Korea since Tehran is more qualified to bear heavier external pressures.”

He further touched on the legal aspect of the issue, saying Iran stands on solid legal ground, since it did not take any measures that breach the provisions of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)”

Hasana Rawi Faran, Political Science professor at the Islamic University in Tehran, agreed with Al-Labad.

"The Korean move will not affect Iran . On the contrary, it will increase Iran’s persistence on going further with its peaceful nuclear project,” he told IOL over the phone.

The Iranian analyst predicted Iran would not accept any external dictations nor would it forsake its "inalienable right to acquire nuclear power" within the framework of the NPT.

He pointed out that “the Iranian stance is governed by variables different from those of North Korea, since Iran ’s pursuit to acquire nuclear power is peaceful and not military as in the case of Pyongyang.”

He further said that “Iran has economic power, unlike Korea, including a huge oil reserve, which would counter any attempted political pressure, since such a pressure would automatically increase the prices of Oil globally.”

In what could be seen as a support to both analysts reading of the situation, Russia asked the European Union Monday to delay reporting Iran's nuclear program to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions and EU ministers were receptive, participants told Reuters.

European ministers emerging from the meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said there was time for more diplomacy, Reuters added.

Negative

Al-Labbad, however, pointed out the possibility of weakening Tehran's position in the nuclear standoff with the West, following North Korea's pledge to abandon its nuclear weapons' program.

“North Korea’s decision to give up its Nuclear program, would subsequently weaken Iran’s negotiating position since international negotiations will be exclusively with Iran, after negotiations were taking place on two different fronts.”

He further noted that Pyongyang ’s decision would make Iran appear to be against the will of the International Community, although Iran did not breach international conventions.

"Moreover, the diplomatic pressure would augment on Iran, since it would become the only party asked to stop its nuclear program," he added.

Positive

Mohamed Said Abdul Moemen, an expert in Iranian studies, argued differently though.

He believed the Korean decision to be "in the interest of Iran and not against it, since it spares Iran embarrassment concerning continuing to deal with North Korea, for the purpose of completing its nuclear project.”

North Korea agreed Monday to give up its nuclear weapons and programs in return for a recognized right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and normalization of ties with the US and Japan, capping two years of negotiations.

That coincided with the European Union apparently adopting Washington 's stance and preparing to refer Iran's nuclear file to the Security Council.