And this is still the easy bit. Both sides have entered into cautious dialog with each other. Both sides must now come to the table if they want to really build relations. This needs to be done with the involvement of the Gulf states, who are also carefully observing how these initial approaches unfold. It’s perhaps no surprise that the US envoy to the Middle East, Senator George Mitchell, visited the GCC and met with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the UAE prior to Obama’s broadcast.

At the same time, the UK announced it had reopened channels with the political wing of Hezbollah in early March. A spokesman for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the move was part of a reappraisal of the Syria- and Iran-backed organization’s involvement in Lebanese affairs. “Our objective with Hezbollah remains to encourage them to move away from violence and play a constructive, democratic and peaceful role in Lebanese politics, in line with a range of UN Security Council resolutions,” he says.

“Hezbollah’s political wing is part of a National Unity Government in Leba-non. The UK is doing all it can to support that government.”

The UK’s message has sparked protests from Israel, but received tacit acceptance from the US. It’s telling in that, while it would be too great a leap for the US to recognize either the military or political arms of Hezbollah, it’s willing to acknowledge that one of its allies has done so.

Neither side can be set to instantly warm to each other. But it shows the start of a slow process towards greater dialogue on both sides. “Iran has many grievances and it expects that the United States would finally come to recognize this,” Mohammad Marandi, a professor of North American studies at Tehran University told Qatari daily The Peninsula. “Change does not come about by saying Happy New Year.”

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