Page 8 - MEOG Week 16 2021

MEOG POLICY MEOG

US calls Vienna nuclear talks

constructive while Iran talks of details

JCPOA THE US and Iran appear to have edged closer to Iran would begin work on a full draft text for
an agreement that would see a revival of the 2015 negotiators to discuss, he added.
nuclear deal. Separately, Iran has changed its description
Indirect talks in Vienna last week—in which of how its biggest uranium enrichment facility,
European diplomats shuttled between the Ira- at Natanz, came to be severely damaged in an
nian and US delegations in an attempt to bridge attack last week. Tehran previously described the
differences over how to restore the accord, also attack, which it blames on Israel, as a cyber-at-
known as the JCPOA, which is meant to shield tack, but officials quoted by Iranian state TV at
Tehran from major sanctions in return for Ira- the weekend talked of a limited explosion that hit
nian compliance with measures designed to keep a small part of the electricity-feeding path to the
its nuclear development programme entirely centrifuges’ hall and said it was explosive mate-
civilian—were described by the Biden admin- rials and not a cyber-attack that caused the blast.
istration as “constructive”, while the Islamic State TV also reported officials as naming
Republic indicated that it was ready to debate a man that intelligence authorities allege was
the details of a possible agreement. responsible for the attack at Natanz. Reza Karimi
Jake Sullivan, US National Security Adviser, fled Iran shortly before the blast, Network One
told Fox News on April 18 that “the talks in said, showing a man’s photo on what it said was
Vienna have been constructive in the sense that an Interpol wanted poster.
there is real effort under way there”. World pow- The Financial Times, meanwhile, reported
ers were focused on restoring the agreement, on April 18 that senior officials from Saudi Ara-
abandoned by former US president Donald bia and Iran have been holding talks to repair
Trump in May 2018, on a “compliance for com- relations. It cited three unidentified officials.
pliance” basis. The meeting in Baghdad on April 9 reportedly
Iran’s lead negotiator, Deputy Foreign Minis- included discussions about recent attacks and
ter Abbas Araghchi, said on April 17 that a “new would be followed by another round of talks this
understanding” was taking shape at the talks. coming week, it said.™

Beijing ‘reluctant’ to let Iran

have fighter jet in oil barter

IRAN BEIJING is reportedly reluctant to let Iran have pressure on Tehran to hold on to hard currency
its J-10C lightweight fighter jet in a barter trade whenever possible.
for oil or natural gas. Reports of Tehran’s inter- An earlier report from Sina News speculated
est in the jet have been circulating on Chinese that Iran might buy 36 Chinese fighter jets using
social media platforms for months given the half of $3bn in financial help from Qatar, suppos-
expiry in October last year of the UN’s 13-year edly offered by the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim
arms embargo on Iran buying foreign weapons bin Hamad Al Thani when he met Iranian Pres-
like tanks and fighter jets. ident Hassan Rowhani in Tehran in January last
“The key problem is Iran can’t pay dollars or year. Closer security ties are meant to be part of
euros in cash to China, they prefer using oil and the 25-year economic and security cooperation
natural gas to exchange weapons,” Zhou Chen- agreement signed in March between Beijing and
ming, a researcher with the Yuan Wang think Tehran.
tank, a Beijing-based military science and tech- The J-10C is an upgraded version of Chi-
nology institute, told the South China Morning na’s single-engine, lightweight, multi-role J-10,
Post. “However, China has accumulated too which was designed for air-to-air combat. The
much energy reserves… business is business, all advanced version is billed as powered by a mod-
arms deals want to make money. It’s impossible ified engine designed for stealth and thrust vec-
for China to get a bad bargain.” toring. Analysts say that besides the J-10C, Iran
The severe depreciation of Iran’s currency, the could also be considering Russia’s MiG-35, Su-35
rial, during the recent years of US sanctions puts and Su-30SM fighter jets.™

P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 16 21•April•2021