THE outcome of the non-aligned summit on Friday marked a diplomatic triumph for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he managed to secure the support of 120 nations on his nuclear policy. Called the Tehran Declaration, the final statement backed Iran’s position on what to Israel and the West is anathema and said not only that the country had every right to pursue its peaceful nuclear programme but that it was entitled to the full ownership of the fuel cycle — to uranium enrichment, in other words. The summit highlights his government’s success in dispelling the impression that Iran suffered from international isolation and that its nuclear policy had few takers. The UN secretary general criticised Iran’s nuclear policy, but the fact that Ban Ki-moon attended the summit gives the declaration the stamp of UN approval and constitutes a snub for Israel, which had asked him not to visit Tehran.

There were some uncomfortable moments for the host, especially when Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi indirectly criticised Tehran’s Syria policy by denouncing the Baathist regime’s crackdown on the protesters, while Mr Ban pleaded with Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency and “fully comply” with various UN resolutions. The Iranian media blacked out Mr Morsi’s speech, and privately Iranian officials flayed the Egyptian leader for showing “immaturity” and departing from the non-aligned movement’s objectives. But the Egyptian president’s speech broadly reflected the Arab world’s Syria policy that runs counter to Iran’s support for the Baathist regime. As a compromise, Syria found no mention in the final declaration adopted unanimously. While his astute diplomatic manoeuvring at the summit paid dividends, Mr Ahmadinejad should now sober up. The combination of powers against Iran is overwhelming, and he would do well to take this into consideration. While the US-led sanctions and America’s anti-Iran rhetoric during the election year have failed to deter Iran, it is in Tehran’s interest to be realistic and address the IAEA’s reservations. Tehran, of course, has every right to the peaceful use of the atom, but a high-profile foreign policy and confrontation with the West are not in Iran’s interest.