Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
(Image Source: FutureAtlas.com)
BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN
Another round of nuclear talks between Iran and world powers is set to begin Monday in
Moscow. This, just two weeks before a fresh set of international trade sanctions against
the country is scheduled to kick in.
The Christian Science Monitor talks to a U.S. diplomat who says during nuclear negotiations,
the two sides just talk past each other.
“We’re talking about one thing, all these legal and technical issues; and the Iranians
are talking about their place in the world, their rights, their sovereignty...”
The Washington Post points out Iran is suffering from the economic pinch of harsh sanctions.
To relieve the economy, some Iranian leaders have expressed willingness to freeze production
of highly-enriched uranium — a key demand of the West. But...
“… the Moscow talks could bog down quickly if Iran persists in demanding immediate relief
from Western economic sanctions in exchange for any downsizing of its nuclear ambitions...”
That’s because the U.S. has said Iran won’t see sanctions really eased until gives more
in the way of reductions to its program. An Israeli diplomat tells Fox News Iran will
only stop its nuclear activities...
“...if they realize that the world, led by the United States and its president, means
business and will actually take military action if everything else fails.”
But is military action the best step in handling Iran? Journalist Nick Kristof tells CNN — not
really. An attack against Iran will only create a nationalist backlash in the country.
“If I were the Supreme Leader of Iran, or if I were President Ahmadinejad, I would frankly
want a strike on nuclear sites, because I think that would be the best hope for the
regime staying in power in the long run.”
The Guardian says Moscow will be the most critical negotiation so far, especially after
the two talks from earlier this year made no real progress. On top of that, Iran has
just announced its intentions to build nuclear submarines.
“Tactically the nuclear submarine announcement has many advantages for Iran at the negotiating
table. But if it contributes to the final breakdown of a diplomatic process that is
already fast running out steam, it could represent a huge strategic miscalculation. … [I]f
the negotiations collapse in Moscow, an Israeli attack will be more likely than it would have
been had the talks had never begun.”
On the other side of the table, the two-day talk includes the U.S., Russia, China, Britain,
France and Germany.