Daily Alert Archives

Iran to Play Hardball at Nuclear Talks

(Reuters) Parisa Hafezi - Iran will adopt an uncompromising stance when it resumes nuclear talks with major powers, betting it has the leverage to win wide sanctions relief in return for curbs on its increasingly advanced atomic technology, officials and analysts say. "Our nuclear facilities are up and running....We can live with or without the deal," said a hardline Iranian official. Iran is rebuilding enriched uranium stocks, refining it to a higher fissile purity, and installing advanced centrifuges to speed up production. Iran has also limited access to UN nuclear watchdog inspectors, restricting their visits to declared nuclear sites only. Kasra Aarabi, senior Iran analyst at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, said by using delays in the talks, advancing its atomic expertise and continuing to support paramilitary allies in the region, Khamenei and his hardline allies were "genuinely convinced they can intimidate the U.S. into granting more concessions without facing any consequences." Ali Vaez, senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the negotiations were bound to fail "if Iran's opening salvo is indeed its bottom line."
2021-11-15 00:00:00
Full Article