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U.S. says ready to quickly conclude Iran nuclear deal based on EU text

WASHINGTON, Aug 8 (Reuters) – The United States stands ready to “quickly conclude a deal” to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement on the basis of proposals put forward by the European Union, a State Department spokesperson said on Monday.

The spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tehran has repeatedly said it is prepared for a return to mutual implementation of the agreement. ………. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-says-ready-quickly-conclude-iran-nuclear-deal-based-eu-text-2022-08-08/
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August 8, 2022 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

Israel, secretly having nuclear weapons, will not join the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty

Israel signals no change on nuclear policy as U.S. reaffirms anti-proliferation drive

By Dan Williams  , JERUSALEM, Aug 1 (Reuters) – Israel signalled it would not change policy around its assumed nuclear arsenal on Monday as Washington affirmed a global treaty designed to roll back the spread of such weaponry.

The rare, if veiled, remarks by Prime Minister Yair Lapid came as countries party to the 1970 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) met in New York for a periodic review conference.

Israel has not signed the voluntary NPT, which offers access to atomic energy in exchange for the forswearing of nuclear weaponry.

It has been leading regional calls for world powers to crack down on NPT-signatory Iran’s suspected use of civilian nuclear technologies as cover for military designs. Tehran denies wrongdoing.

Addressing the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, Lapid spoke of the country’s “defensive and offensive capabilities, and what is referred to in the foreign media as ‘other capabilities'”.

“These other capabilities keep us alive and will keep us alive as long as we and our children are here,” he said, according to a transcript from his office.

Under a decades-old ambiguity policy designed to deter surrounding enemies while avoiding provocations that can spur arms races, Israel neither confirms nor denies having nuclear weaponry.

Scholars believe it does, having acquired the first bomb in late 1966. Israeli journalists, circumscribed by military censorship, often refer cryptically to such capabilities or cite foreign media reporting on them………………
more https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-signals-no-change-nuclear-policy-us-reaffirms-anti-proliferation-drive-2022-08-01/

August 1, 2022 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Iran says ‘optimistic’ after EU proposal for nuclear deal

The New Arab Staff & Agencies, 01 August, 2022,

Iran said Monday it remains “optimistic” about a possible revival of the 2015 nuclear deal after the European Union tabled a proposal aiming for a compromise in the talks stalled since March.

“We remain optimistic that the negotiation process will lead us to a logical and reasonable outcome,” foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said at his weekly news conference.

The comment comes after EU foreign policy chief and coordinator of the nuclear talks between Iran and world powers, Josep Borrell, last Tuesday submitted a new draft text and urged the different sides of the negotiations to accept it or “risk a dangerous nuclear crisis”.

Negotiations in Vienna began in April 2021 to restore the deal, but have stalled since March amid differences between Tehran and Washington on several issues.

The two sides negotiated indirectly through the European Union coordinator in a bid to bring the US back into the deal and to lift sanctions on Iran, on the basis that Tehran would return to its nuclear commitments…………………………………….
more https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/iran-says-optimistic-after-eu-proposal-nuclear-deal

August 1, 2022 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

Lawmaker Says Iran Nuclear Talks Will Resume In Coming Days

 https://www.iranintl.com/en/202207318199 1 Aug 22, An Iranian lawmaker has said the talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, will resume probably in Vienna in the coming days.

Yaghoub Rezazadeh, a member of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said on Sunday that the decision has been taken thanks to the latest efforts of the European parties to reach a conclusion about the negotiations. 

Rezazadeh added that the Islamic Republic had proposed that the next round would be held in Iran, but the final location of the negotiations will be determined following the agreement by the parties.

He said during the past few days the members of the committee held several meetings with Ali Bagheri-Kani, the head of Tehran’s negotiating team.

Moreover, Ali Bagheri-Kani tweeted on Sunday that “We shared our proposed ideas, both on substance and form, to pave the way for a swift conclusion of Vienna negotiations which were aimed at fixing the damaging complicated situation caused by the US unilateral and unlawful withdrawal.”

He added that Tehran works closely with the JCPOA partners, in particular with the EU coordinator of the talks “to give another chance to the US to demonstrate good faith and act responsibly. As Iran, we stand ready to conclude the negotiations in a short order, should the other side be ready to do the same.”

State Department spokesman Ned Price said on July 26 that the US was mulling European Union’s proposals over Iran’s nuclear program. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell recently produced new ideas to bridge differences between the United States and Iran and allow both to return to the agreement.

July 31, 2022 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

‘Israeli cell planted explosives at nuclear facility,’ Iran media says

Report says cell arrested with ‘powerful explosives’, planned to blow up a ‘sensitive center’ in central Isfahan province — home to nuclear sites and missile bases

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hkb1uwohq Ynet| 07.24.22

ranian news website Nour News, which is affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reported that the cell planned to blow up a “sensitive center” in Isfahan province in the center of the country. Isfahan is home to several major nuclear sites, as well as missile bases.

According to other reports, the cell crossed into Iran from Iraq’s Kurdistan region after “months of training” in Africa.

Iran’s Intelligence Ministry did not specify, however, how many cell members were arrested and did not publish details about their nationality.

July 22, 2022 Posted by | incidents, Iran | Leave a comment

ISRAEL AND THE NUCLEAR NORM

How does existential fear interact with nuclear policy?

INKSTICK Doreen Horschig 22 July 22, Globally, if you ask people “do you support the use of a nuclear weapon?” most people will say “no.” Public opinion polls consistently reflect such anti-nuclear stances and norms. Citizens of EU states that host US nuclear weapons are in favor of a global nuclear weapons ban. Chinese citizens strongly oppose the use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances and a majority of Americans think that the very invention of nuclear weapons was bad. Even under the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine War, 85% of Central and Eastern Europeans reported in March 2022 that there are no situations in which using nuclear weapons would be morally justified.

However, this public aversion toward nuclear weapons can erode.

In a recent experimental study that I conducted in Israel, I found that when faced with a threat to their security, respondents showed high support for nuclear use. In light of this, I explored why it is that people might deviate from anti-nuclear norms and become willing to endorse a nuclear strike against a foreign country.

. I found that when respondents are reminded of their own mortality, they are more likely to support a nuclear strike.

In other words, psychological mechanisms explain why people may violate the nuclear norm. Individuals move away from their existing moral principles and resort to an aggressive defense mechanism that they perceive as effective in destroying the root cause of an existential threat.

ISRAELI SUPPORT FOR A NUCLEAR STRIKE

Israeli support for a retaliatory nuclear strike in a real-life scenario is likely to be even higher than in the theoretical study. First, because the main finding for the support of the use of nuclear weapons in the study is based on a first strike by Israel. If an adversary uses nuclear weapons first, support for a retaliatory strike in response tends to be higher than a nuclear first strike. 

……… the results of the same study surveying Americans showed similar support for nuclear use in the case of an existential threat……………….

WHY PUBLIC OPINION MATTERS

Why should we be concerned about public support for nuclear weapons when elites hold the power in nuclear policy? After all, the current debate on gun legislation in the United States shows that public opinion has little to no impact on federal policy. Even though the majority of Americans support stronger gun control policies, few changes have been made. But public attitudes on nuclear weapons do matter for two main reasons, which are intensified by the rise of populism along with nationalist and authoritarian leaders.

First, leaders and war advocates can use the public’s existential fear to their advantage by inflating threats. ……………………

Second, leaders might be more inclined to use a nuclear weapon if they believe they have their public’s support……………………………..Recent research findings also suggest that the public is unlikely to act as a strong restraint on leaders seeking nuclear weapons. Hence, not only can a supportive public embolden leaders to use a nuclear weapon in nuclear-armed states, but also to proliferate in non-nuclear weapons states.

It is essential to educate the public on the realities of nuclear use. People support the use of nuclear weapons because they believe them to have a distinctive military utility. Yet, often conventional weapons are just as effective in destroying an adversarial target (unless, for example, it is a deeply buried weapons storage).

Beyond that, people need to understand the costs and consequences of such a strike. If aversion toward nuclear weapons can easily erode, public knowledge on nuclear weapons needs to be more robust to begin with.  https://inkstickmedia.com/israel-and-the-nuclear-norm/

July 22, 2022 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Iran critical of President Biden telling Israelis that USA is ready to use force against Iran

Tehran Times, 18Juy 22, TEHRAN – Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, has reacted to the U.S. president’s threat against Iran over American-Israeli allegations of Iran seeking nuclear bombs, saying that Iran has never sought to build such bombs.

That U.S. President Joe Biden threatens Iran over nuclear allegations while visiting an “outlaw regime” possessing nukes is an “irony of our times,” Kanaani said on Twitter. 

“Irony of our times: just on the anniv. of 1st US nuke test & after visiting an outlaw regime that possess clandestine nukes, Mr. Biden stresses that he would not ‘allow’ Iran to build bombs,” he said. 

The spokesman considered the U.S. commitment not to allow Iran develop nuclear weapons a “sales pitch” aimed at charming Israel. “Sales pitch to charm the Israeli apartheid regime by bombs that Iran has never sought,” he said. 

During his visit to Israel, U.S. President Joe Biden issued threats against Iran and spoke in such a way as to signal Washington’s readiness to use force against Iran.

In Jerusalem, President Biden signed a document called “The Jerusalem U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration,” which makes two references to Iran in the context of the U.S.’s commitment to preserving Israel’s security. 

The Declaration accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons and highlighted a U.S. commitment to “use all elements of its national power to ensure” that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons.

Biden continued to make allegations during his visit to Saudi Arabia. 

The spokesman touched upon the past record of the United States as the first country to have used A-bombs and pointed to its relentless interference in the internal affairs of the regional countries, military aggression and occupation, large sales of weapons and promotion of militarism in the region.

“Once again by resorting to the failed policy of promoting Iranophobia, the United States seeks to create tensions and crisis in the region,” he noted, according to an Iranian foreign ministry statement.

The spokesman further underscored several decades of Washington’s blind and unflinching support for the usurper Israeli regime.

“Indubitably, the U.S. government is the key contributor to the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian land and holy Qods, the regime’s day-to-day crimes against Palestinians and apartheid and systematic violation of human rights with regards to the oppressed and resistant Palestinian nation,” he explained………………………………….  https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/474778/Iran-has-never-sought-nuclear-bombs-spokesman

July 18, 2022 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

Greencoat Capital UK to greenwash nuclear power?

Greencoat Capital is considering creating a nuclear investment fund to take
a stake in EDF’s proposed Sizewell C plant in Suffolk. The renewables
investment manager is eyeing a move into nuclear that could lead to the
fund investing in Hinkley Point C, under construction in Somerset, and the
existing Sizewell B plant. Bankers working for EDF and the UK government
are seeking investors to join them in funding the construction of Sizewell
C, which could power 6 million homes and is expected to cost at least £20
billion. Richard Nourse, Greencoat Capital’s founder, said: “My feeling
is that there’s a huge amount of money required. When you need a huge
amount of money, you normally have to price it to go, and therefore it will
be potentially an interesting investment. Given nuclear will be a
fearsomely complex and technically demanding area for UK pension funds to
evaluate risk, we see an opportunity for Greencoat to be a trusted adviser
and manager of funds.”

Times 16th July 2022

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/investment-firm-readies-nuclear-fund-j7xtbdqxl

July 16, 2022 Posted by | Afghanistan, business and costs, climate change, ENERGY | Leave a comment

US, Israel sign joint anti-Iran nuclear declaration – US will use “all elements of national power”

Aljazeera, 14 July 22, US President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Lapid sign joint declaration during meeting in Jerusalem.

United States President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid have reiterated their anti-Iran positions in a joint declaration committing to preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The two leaders signed the statement earlier after holding a one-on-one meeting on Thursday morning in West Jerusalem on the second day of Biden’s four-day Middle East tour, followed by a virtual summit with the leaders of India and the United Arab Emirates.

The statement says that the US will use “all elements of national power” available to it to deny Iran the ability to arm itself with nuclear weapons.

The joint declaration also includes a pledge by Washington to continue US military aid to Israel.

A record 10-year $38bn aid package was signed in 2016 under the administration of former US President Barack Obama when Biden was vice president.

Speaking at a news conference following the signing, both Biden and Lapid spoke of their support for the US-Israeli relationship, and the perceived threat from Iran.

“The only way to stop a nuclear Iran is if Iran knows the free world will use force,” Lapid said……………………………………………….  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/7/14/us-israel-to-commit-to-stopping-iran-nuclear-ambitions

July 13, 2022 Posted by | Israel, politics international, USA | Leave a comment

US imposes new Iran sanctions amid efforts to revive nuclear deal

US measures targeting Iranian petroleum and petrochemical sales come ahead of Joe Biden’s visit to the region next week.

By Al Jazeera Staff. 6 Jul 2022

The sanctions come days after American and Iranian diplomats held a round of indirect talks in Qatar to try to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the multilateral agreement that saw Iran scale back its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions against its economy.

“While the United States is committed to achieving an agreement with Iran that seeks a mutual return to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, we will continue to use all our authorities to enforce sanctions on the sale of Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals,” Under-secretary of the

Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson, said in a statement.

…………………………….. President Joe Biden and his top aides say they are committed to reviving the deal through mutual compliance, but they have continued to enforce Trump’s sanctions and added dozens of their own.

……………………

Tehran has blamed Washington’s refusal to revoke sanctions for the inability to reach a deal so far.

“Agreement is possible only based on mutual understanding & interests,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian wrote on Twitter on Tuesday after a phone call with European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

“We remain ready to negotiate a strong & durable agreement. US must decide if it wants a deal or insists on sticking to its unilateral demands.”  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/7/6/us-imposes-new-iran-sanctions-amid-efforts-to-revive-nuclear-deal

July 7, 2022 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

‘Effort and patience’ required to restore Iran nuclear agreement

UN News. Despite diplomatic engagements, restoring the so-called Iran nuclear agreement continues to be hindered by political and technical differences, the UN political and peacebuilding chief told the Security Council on Thursday.
 

In the landmark accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – reached in 2015 between Iran, the United States, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom – Iran agreed to dismantle much of its nuclear programme and open its facilities to international inspections in exchange for sanctions relief.

In 2018, then-President Trump withdrew the US from the agreement and reinstated the sanctions.

“Achieving the landmark JCPOA took determined diplomacy. Restoring it will require additional effort and patience,” said UN political affairs chief, Rosemary DiCarlo.

Although the landmark Joint Commission to restore the Plan resumed in November 2021, she acknowledged that despite their determination to resolve the issues, the US and other participants are yet to return to “full and effective implementation of the Plan, and [Security Council] resolution 2231”.

Appealing to both

Together with the Secretary-General, she urged Iran and the US to “quickly mobilize” in “spirit and commitment” to resume cooperation under the JCPOA.

They welcomed the reinstatement by the US in February of waivers on nuclear non-proliferation projects and appealed to the country to lift its sanctions, as outlined in the Plan, and extend oil trade waivers.

Together they also called on on Iran to reverse the steps it has taken that are inconsistent with its nuclear-related commitments under the Plan.

Monitoring enrichment

While the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been unable to verify the stockpile of enriched uranium in Iran, it estimates that there is currently more than 15 times the allowable amount under the JCPOA, including uranium enriched to 20 and 60 per cent, which Ms. DiCarlo called “extremely worrying”.

Moreover, on 8 and 20 June, IAEA reported that Iran had started to install additional advanced centrifuges at the Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz and began feeding uranium into advanced centrifuges at the Fuel Enrichment Plant at Fordow.

In his latest report, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, informed the Council that the UN agency’s ability to verify and confirm the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear activities are key to the JCPOA’s full and effective implementation.

Iran’s decision to remove site cameras and place them and the data they collected under Agency seals, “could have detrimental implications”…………………………………….. https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/06/1121762....

July 2, 2022 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

Talks to restart on Iran nuclear deal

Josep Borrell, the EU foreign affairs chief, has said talks will restart
on the Iran nuclear deal, averting a complete collapse in the agreement
which could spark a nuclear arms race across the Middle East. After a
meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in
Tehran, Borrell said he had broken the stalemate which had led to talks on
the revival of the nuclear deal being stalled since March. Borrell gave no
detail about the exact date of the resumption of talks or the precise
format, but said the process had the agreement of Iran and the US. He also
met Iran’s national security chief Ali Shamkhani…..

Guardian 25th June 2022

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/25/iran-and-us-ready-to-restart-talks-on-nuclear-deal

June 27, 2022 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

Israel Expands Operations Against Iranian Nuclear, Military Assets

WSJ, 20 June 22, Israel is targeting a broader range of key targets in a series of covert operations, people familiar with the new strategy say, Israel is intensifying its campaign to thwart Iran’s nuclear, missile and drone programs with a series of covert operations targeting a broader range of key targets, said people familiar with the effort.

The new moves are the latest evolution of a strategy that has been dubbed the Octopus Doctrine by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who aims to bring Israel’s battle against Iran onto Iranian territory after years of targeting Iranian agents and Tehran’s proxies outside the country in places such as Syria……………….. (subscribers only)  https://www.wsj.com/articles/israel-expands-operations-against-iranian-nuclear-military-assets-11655726066

June 21, 2022 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Iran removes nuclear watchdog’s cameras after criticism

David GrittenBBC News  Iran has told the global nuclear watchdog it is removing 27 surveillance cameras from its nuclear facilities.

It comes after the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board censured Iran for not answering questions about uranium traces found at three undeclared sites.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said 40 cameras would remain, but that the move posed a “serious challenge”.

Unless it was reversed within three to four weeks, he warned, it would deal a “fatal blow” to the Iran nuclear deal.

Under the 2015 agreement with world powers, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities and allow continuous and robust monitoring by the IAEA’s inspectors in return for relief from economic sanctions.

However, it has been close to collapse since the US pulled out unilaterally and reinstated sanctions four years ago and Iran responded by breaching key commitments.

The US now wants to rejoin the deal if Iran returns to compliance, but indirect negotiations in Vienna have stalled since March……………………………  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-61719196

June 11, 2022 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

Ukrainian victory not in the cards – former top US official

 https://www.rt.com/russia/556701-ukraine-us-negotiations-zelensky/ The US and its allies should persuade Ukraine to negotiate with Russia, Hugh De Santis says . Ukraine won’t be able to win against Russia, and the US must persuade Kiev to negotiate with Moscow to end the conflict, Hugh De Santis, who oversaw NATO and arms control policy planning in the Reagan administration, has insisted.

Defeating the Russian forces on the battlefield and restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity, including taking back Crimea, “would be condign punishment for Russia’s unprovoked invasion,” De Santis wrote in his opinion piece for The National Interest magazine on Saturday.

“But would it be worth the cost of more carnage in Ukraine, the possibility of a wider war in which chemical or tactical nuclear weapons might be used, further disruption of the world economy, and renewed European polarization?” he asked.

According to the former State Department official, the answer to that question is negative.

“A Ukrainian military victory is not in the cards, and a negotiated outcome is the only realistic goal,” he insisted.

Because of this, “the US and its allies must persuade Kiev to bring this war to an end, including by imposing limits on further military aid as leverage,” De Santis suggested.

Washington has been actively backing Kiev during the conflict, supplying it with weapons, funds and intelligence. In May, US President Joe Biden approved a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky and “his advocates in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states” should come to terms with the fact that Ukraine will become a neutral state and that it would have to hand over the Donbass and Crimea to Russia for the peace talks to be successful, he pointed out.

Current high-ranking US and EU officials have also recently identified negotiations as the preferred outcome of the conflict as Russian forces continue their steady advance in the Donbass.

Last week, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said that “a negotiated outcome is a logical choice, but both sides have to come to that conclusion on their own.”

A few days before that, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged the bloc to increase deliveries of weapons to Ukraine and apply even more sanctions against Russia, but explained that it should be done to help Kiev strengthen its position in future peace talks with Moscow. Just over a month ago, Borrell was insisting that “this war must be won on the battlefield” by Ukraine.

Russia attacked its neighboring state in late February, following Kiev’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German- and French-brokered protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.

The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force.

June 9, 2022 Posted by | MIDDLE EAST, weapons and war | Leave a comment

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