Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, April 18th, 2024

High Tension on Nuclear Enrichment

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High Tension on Nuclear Enrichment

Super-power countries’ so-called safety weapons are changing the international political dialogues and have created serious tension between several countries. The efforts in enrichment of nuclear weapon had become a role-model in the developed and potentially developing countries by spending trillions of dollars as a competition. As a result, now every state grows in worries how to protect it from the hands of terrorist groups who are far-more fearless to utilize against innocent civilians if they reach to it.

The talks on the peaceful disarmament of nuclear weapons, the two states of Iran and the United State reached to a critical point of time, criticizing each other for violating the international set-up principles for the enrichment of nuclear uranium.

The efforts to reach to a peaceful political deal with Iran on enrichment of its uranium, the deadline set-up between Iran and P5+1 will be another push for both Iranian foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and president Hassan Ruhani who is one the original advocates of Nuclear talks with the United States to make a real difference. This is another chance for Iran and U.S secretary of state, John Kerry and President Barrack Obama, including the P5+1 to show their comprehensive commitment with ultimate compromises and devotion if they are interested to reach to a fruitful agreement and tie a cooperative relationship.

However, in spite of lack of mutual trust between the two states and lots of ups and downs, Mr. Ruhani showed a positive signal that Iran and the United States may soon reach to positive political agreement with little compromises. The most comprehensive sign of achievement was that there was the common belief that negotiations with flexibility are the only way to reach a convenient final settlement between the United States and Iran. Later after the break-up of the Talks, John Kerry, the U.S chief negotiator, also seemed optimistic about outcome of the talks to have reached to a real and substantial progress despite some disagreement during the talks.

In spite of Iran's and U.S's current relation status, most of Iranians strongly believe that there would be a comprehensive agreement between the United States and Iran. They believe that negotiation is the only way to reach to a peaceful relationship and there should be a two-sided compromise if they want us to live in peace and brotherhood.

In this regard, the Iranian political parties believe that there was clear determination in the United States and European teams to reach an agreement by the deadline. There were non-stop shuttles, bilateral, trilateral and collective talks, political and scientific consultations, especially by the three main negotiators, Zarif, Kerry and former EU policy chief, Catherine Ashton.

At the same time, President Obama and John Kerry have also pointed that we are continuing to chip away in Vienna, P5+1 and that what lies at the core of the failure to achieve agreement. Iran would love to see the sanctions end immediately and then to still have some avenues that might not be completely closed but that cannot happen now.

There are also worries about statements by the United States Republicans such as Senators John Mc Cain, Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte, three of the party's leading foreign policy voices, saying the "extension of talks should be coupled with extra sanctions". It seems that the two states still go in vacillation and create furthermore gaps with no clear objective to sincerely compromise on some little issues.

In response to his statement, Ayatullah Ali Khamanaie showed a strong distrust argument that the countries could not bring Iran on its knees. This adds a deeper distrust in Iran's repeated statements that create furthermore gaps between the two states.

As a result, most of the Iranian government officials showing anger at the failure to lift sanctions make political capital of Obama's words. "Obama has created these problems and he must now settle it himself." The Great Satan promises but it does not deliver.

A news report from Iran newspaper also argues, "The chief negotiator was not to be trusted." It complains that after one year of talks, and "much waste of time" sanctions were not lifted. The failure to lift sanctions is seen to cause economic problems. The break-up of talks means "more uncertainty, more doubts and more nuclear-talks-fatigue, adversely affecting our economy".

Many in Iran also argue that over the past few months, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly confirmed that Iran has followed the required steps and has reduced its stockpile of enriched uranium, so why should it be scrutinized so closely for what seems likely to be a suspicion that it may plan to make a bomb when it has denied such accusations repeatedly?

They point out to the fact that the United States is still silent over several states that are not parties to the treaty, deployed hundreds of missiles with a range of 2,000 to 3,000 kilometers target despite the serious security threats emanating from both countries where there is great threat from the terrorist groups if they reached to these weapons, it will pose serious consequences. 

At the same time, the nuclear arms race in the Middle East would jeopardize every state in the region. The effects of a nuclear detonation would spread without regard to national borders and possessing nuclear weapons would make Iran the target of other nuclear states.

Early next month, negotiators from 150 countries will reach in Vienna to discuss the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and a treaty to ban them. This is a very comprehensive approach for the safety of our planet and innocent people to ban the development of nuclear weapon. In the 21st century a new international consensus is emerging. The nuclear weapons are only useful for killing or terrorizing civilians. The number of weapons worldwide must be reduced with the goal of some day reaching zero. A new nuclear arms race, new states possessing nuclear weapons and a breakdown of the nonproliferation regime are the antithesis of those goals. Not only Iran, there must further international effort to make the countries withdraw from developing such disastrous weapons.

As the talks focuses now on Iran's nuclear program, there is great hope that the Vienna talks prove to be the first steps towards that long path and that as promised by Kerry, negotiations over the next seven months would bear a specific goal of reaching that political agreement.

Given Iran’s technical, political and leadership challenges, its pursuit of nuclear weapons seems an invitation to disaster. Moreover, Iran signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty in 1970. Getting the bomb would violate that treaty, encourage other countries to violate it and discourage Israel from ever submitting nuclear facilities to international inspection.

We have seen new ideas surface," said Kerry in his final statement to the press in Vienna."We are not going to use all the seven months," said Foreign Minister Zarif. "We'd like to reach a political agreement as soon as we can.

"In a joint statement, EU envoy Catherine Ashton and Zarif also spoke of those "new ideas" that need to be explored. Those new ideas and the resolve to continue to work intensively on a new narrative both in Iran and in the West over improving mutual trust would perhaps be the only hope for a real political agreement in seven months. Otherwise, another chance would be passed by to those threatening words that "all options are on the table".

If the talks on Iran's nuclear enrichment will bring fruitful achievements, all countries should be engaged in the dialogue about the role of nuclear weapons, before trillions of dollars are committed for further enhancement of its nuclear program.

If the world intends that nuclear weapons and materials can continue to proliferate, including among potentially unstable states, without being used one day is sheer folly. We cannot afford the security risk or the financial costs of a continued arms race. The U.S. and Russia must get back to the action for a sustainable getaway. And their real honeymoon starts when they will reach to a convenient settlement with Iran on its nuclear program.

Abdul Samad Haidari is the permanent writer of the Daily outlook Afghanistan. He can be reached at abdulsamad.haidari96@gmail.com

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