President Biden has openly stated a military solution will be considered as an answer to the creation of Iran's first nuclear weapon.
Russia is not a partner to the Iran Nuclear talks and it should not be allowed into further diplomatic efforts. Iran is a flash point for Putin to engage the USA in war and quite possibly a nuclear exchange. Russia will think nothing of dead Iranians at the hand of the USA attempting to end Iran's ambitions for a nuclear arsenal. To Putin, any actions by the USA to defend the region will result in a counter attack and possibly a sustained war. There is a reason why Russia doesn't care about the nuclear talks with Iran. If Iran agrees to the nuclear talks and an actual signed agreement, Russia loses it's flash point of war with The West.
Russia straddles the Shi'ite crescent.
By Javad Heiran-Nia
Russia has abandoned (click here) a recent attempt to exploit the Vienna talks to gain sanctions relief beyond what was guaranteed in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, there are no signs that Tehran is walking away from its relationship with Moscow despite Russia’s actions toward Iran and its invasion of Ukraine.
Any improvement in Iran’s relationship with the West has always been a concern for Russia. Its March 5 demand for a written guarantee from the United States that trade with Iran not be affected by new US sanctions imposed on Russia for the invasion is the latest example of Moscow playing the Iranian card and jeopardizing Tehran’s interests to secure its own interests.
This isn’t the first time that Russia has used nuclear talks in such a manner.
Former Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said in March 2021 during a leaked interview about Russia’s destructive role in the Iran nuclear talks: “The Russians have been trying to prevent the nuclear deal (JCPOA)since 2015 and [Foreign Minister] Sergei Lavrov wanted to disrupt everything on the night of the agreement. After the JCPOA, when Lavrov returned to Russia, he was attacked by the Russian media. Why did you allow this agreement to be reached and Iran to get closer to the West?”...
One would think that in a world where Russia invades at will and attempting to commit genocide of a people, Iran would be the last country to continue it's relationship with Putin's Russia. An ally that imperils it's people is not an ally. This persistence of Iran to continue to see Russia as a benevolent ally is ridiculous. Every Russian ally should be running the other way.
The Middle East witnessed the horror of Russia's attacks on the Syrian people first hand. Iran's only problem is that it believes it needs Russia to protect the Shi'ites, that is the furthest from the truth. Iran needs to stop it's ridiculous pursuit of nuclear weapons and focus on peace and prosperity. Iraq is already a trading partner. I would think the leadership of Iran would be viewed better for the Shi'ites and were accepted throughout the world as a reasonable government interested in economic ties rather than a creator of greater division by promulgating war.
LEILA FADEL, HOST: (click here)
U.S. and Iranian officials recently left Doha, Qatar, after one more round of talks to try to restore the Iran nuclear deal. Both sides left disappointed. The two delegations have been trying for more than a year through indirect talks with European Union officials acting as intermediaries. The U.S. special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, leads the delegation from Washington, and he spoke with our colleague Steve Inskeep about this latest round.
ROBERT MALLEY: The European Union, in its role as coordinator, wanted to try one more effort, at least one more effort, and so they invited both delegations to meet with them in Doha in the hope that the Iranians would show something, some willingness to get to yes. But they seem, at this point, not capable of providing an answer. And so it was a little bit of a - well, more than a little bit of a wasted occasion, I'd say....
There are estimates, either right or wrong, that Iran has enriched enough uranium to build a nuclear weapon within weeks. Iran is a serious problem. Iran has also armed the Houthis against Saudi Arabia. The tensions in the Middle East have to be among the highest ever assessed.
Israel needs to settle their governance.
