Regional issues shared by Iran, U.S.

TEHRAN, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Iran and the United States can work on several regional issues by reaching a consensus on the sensitive nuclear issue, a proliferation expert says.

In an interview with the official Islamic Republic News Agency, Mark Fitzpatrick with London's Institute for International Strategic Studies says both governments have national security issues that must be resolved collectively.

"They both seek an end to drug trafficking in Afghanistan, and both want stability in Iraq," he said. "Hopefully then Iran's nuclear issue could also be a matter of engagement and negotiation."

Fitzpatrick, a former official with the U.S. State Department, said on the heels of the release of his report on the Iranian nuclear program that Tehran had enough material and adequate technology to produce a nuclear weapon within the year. He noted, however, that Tehran may use the nuclear issue to gain some political capital and back away from weapons development.

"Iranians are actually willing to negotiate and show some flexibility in the nuclear case," he said.

He told IRNA the worst-case scenario for the Iranian nuclear issue was that the Islamic Republic becomes a weapons state or conflict erupts over the matter, adding a policy of engagement and sanctions may be the best approach to mitigate the dispute.