President Obama & John Kerry must be applauded for their strategy of engagement in the Middle East

President Obama & Secretary of State John Kerry must be applauded for their massive diplomatic success in engaging Iran, and now Russia (albeit slowly)

Whilst the agreement with Iran will address & keep in check Iran's nuclear capability, it is the success in engaging Iran & Russia to resolve the escalating regional trouble spots that is a huge win for Obama & the West. And John Kerry's diplomatic skills in negotiating with Iran's Foreign Minister that unlocked the process.

It is quite clear that Syria's civil war & the devastating impact of ISIS can only effectively be addressed in USA & its allies fully engage Russia & Iran.
This may result in Assad remaining in power, but this is a positive result if Russia & Iran assist US to neutralise ISIS's influence in Syria (and Iraq).

This is at a time when Obama & Kerry can no longer rely on their Arab allies. Saudies & Qatar seem to be hedging their bets both ways by supporting ISIS elements to counter the ever growing influence of Iran.

Iran on the other hand, is fast becoming the voice of reason as well as effective military strategy in the region! Let's look at Iran from a different angle:

- Iran can comfortably claim a much more democratic political system than most of its Arab neighbours. Whilst the disputed 2009 Presidential Elections caused political unrest, subsequent election of the moderate candidate Mr Rohani took the system back towards the right democratic path.

- The reason for the relative stability of the political system in Iran is its Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamanei.

Iran's Supreme Leader is an experienced politician of exceptional strategic competnce. He reads the region's political pulse as well as its religious social fabric much better than his Arab foes/friends across the Persian Gulf. This is quite clear given the fact that Iran's political, religious & military influence currently stretches from Afghanistan to Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen, Syria & Lebanon.

- Furthermore, Iran's religious ideology is diametrically opposed to that of terrorist groups such as ISIS as well as Taliban, Al Quaeda & most of the smaller militant groups in Iraq & Syria. On top of this, Iran has both the military might & the geopolitical influence to deal with ISIS.

And last but not least, as the BRIC countries growth falters & affects the world's global growth, Iran with its population of 76m, its vast oil & gas (and copper amongst other minerals) resources, and its urgent need for massive infrastructure investment in these industries, potentially represents the brightest growth prospects in the world economy in the next decade.

Russia & Iran on the other hand must now deliver effective success against ISIS if the diplomatic relationship can grow to a more fruitful stage.