EVER since the US, under the Trump presidency, unilaterally withdrew from the multilaterally negotiated Iran nuclear deal in May, great uncertainty has followed, with many fearing that Washington is now on the path to a fully fledged confrontation with Iran. Much bluster and warlike threats coming from US officials, including the president, secretary of state and ambassador to the UN, have elicited matching responses from Iranian establishment figures, and it is feared the war of words may escalate further. On Wednesday, Iran announced that it had reopened a nuclear plant in Isfahan to process uranium. The IAEA says it had been informed of Iran’s intentions to restart nuclear work, although the reopening of the plant does not violate the deal.
The move from Tehran should be seen in perspective; it is an indication from the Islamic Republic that if it is pushed to the wall through sanctions and threats, it may also walk away from the nuclear deal. The European co-signatories are trying to keep the agreement alive. However, American warnings of punitive actions against those who do business with Iran have caused major global corporations to announce they are cancelling plans to engage with Tehran. The Iranian economy is not in good shape; this week saw protests launched by merchants in reaction to Iran’s moribund financial state, in particular the plummeting value of the rial. If US sanctions kick in with full force and strangulate Iran’s economy by penalising all those who do business with the country, there is little doubt Tehran will leave the deal. To prevent further deterioration of the situation, attempts to salvage the pact must be allowed to succeed. However, considering that the hawks in Washington are looking for a confrontation, negotiations and diplomacy may not succeed. And with Iran’s Israeli and Gulf Arab nemeses egging the Americans on, chances of a new crisis appear to be very real.
Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2018
Source:Â https://www.dawn.com/news/1416798/iranian-nuclear-plant
