Page 10 - MEOG Week 26 2022

MEOG POLICY & SECURITY MEOG

Tug of war emerging over

Iran’s role in new world order

IRAN THE geopolitical and economic tectonic plates for Iran’s foreign ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh,
are shifting and something of a tug of war is noted that the BRICS member states make up
emerging over what role Iran should play in the 30% of the world’s economic output and 40%
new world order. of its population. Iran’s population is around
That was plain on June 27 from a series of 85-mn-strong.
developments. As for Iran’s arch-rival across the Persian
France caused a stir when a French presi- Gulf, Saudi Arabia, the Guardian reported that
dency official anonymously stuck his neck out to top Israeli and Saudi military officials have met
declare to reporters that the international com- in secret US-brokered talks to discuss defence
munity should explore all options to alleviate coordination against Iran, while AlJazeera
Russia’s squeeze on energy supplies to the West reported that Tehran was claiming the Saudis
that has driven up prices, including talks with oil were ready for more direct bilateral talks on
producers like Iran and Venezuela. securing a rapprochement between their two
Both Iran and Venezuela remain under US countries.
oil sanctions but would have plenty more oil to Khatibzadeh was reported as saying: “There
offer the world if the sanctions were removed. are still cases of disagreement between Iran and
In Iran’s case, such a lifting of sanctions might Saudi Arabia, but they would need to be resolved
only occur if indirect talks between Iran and the between the two countries, something that will
US to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, or JCPOA, help the whole of the Islamic world.”
scheduled to take place in Qatar from June 28
are successful. Oil workers strike
Interestingly, there were reports circulating Iran’s official annual inflation rose 13.2 pp to
in Israeli and other Middle Eastern press that as 52.5% in June from 39.3% in May, the Statistics
part of an easing of sanctions ahead of the Qatari Center of Iran (SCI) announced on June 28.
talks on curbing Iran’s nuclear development pro- The blow to Iranian consumers came a day
gramme in return for sanctions lifting, a US-bro- after Iranian oil and petrochemical workers
kered deal allowing Iran to transfer oil to Syria, began a strike for higher wages, with their indus-
with Israeli approval, is in the works. tries becoming the latest of several in Iran to be
“There are resources elsewhere that need to plunged into turmoil by cost-of-living protests.
be explored,” the French presidency official, as Teachers, stone factory workers, public
quoted by Reuters, said on the sidelines of the employees, taxi drivers and bus drivers are
G7 summit in Germany, when asked about how among groups that have lately taken to the streets
to alleviate high oil prices. protesting at poor pay and work conditions,
The outstanding issue between Iran and the while there have also been substantial protests
US was no longer linked to the nuclear dossier at low pensions mounted by pensioners across
in negotiations but to US terrorism sanctions, the country.
he was reported as saying, referring to Tehran’s The Coordinating Council of Protests of
demand that Washington’s designation of Iran’s Oil Contract Workers was reported by Radio
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) be Farda as saying that employees at the Tehran Oil
removed. Refinery were continuing their protest against
“So there is a knot that needs to be untied if an increase in working hours and low wages,
applicable... to get Iranian oil back on the mar- while drivers and workers at the West Oil and
ket,” the official was cited as telling reporters. Gas Exploitation Company gathered at the com-
“We have Venezuelan oil that also needs to come pany’s location in the western city of Dehloran
back to the market.” saying they had not been paid in months.
As regards Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s Many of the protests have been met with
plans to reorientate his country’s trade and aggressive security crackdowns.
investment East and South, June 27 brought According to SCI inflation report, price
a report from Iran’s Tasnim News Agency that growth in food, beverages and tobacco grew
Iran has applied to join the BRICS (Brazil, Rus- by 32.2 pp to 81.6% in June, while non-food
sia, India, China and South Africa) grouping goods and services prices moved up by 2.8 pp
of five major emerging economies. Spokesman to 36.8%.™

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 26 29•June•2022