Al-Jazeera Net-Tehran
Iranian circles saw that Washington's decision to cancel exceptions to the sanctions on Tehran's nuclear program was a trap for the final elimination of the nuclear agreement, while others considered that there is an opportunity for Russia and China to break American hegemony by standing by Tehran.
A spokesman for the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, Bahruz Kamalundi, responded to the decision to end nuclear exemptions, that it would not affect his country's nuclear program, adding that the decision came at a time when Tehran is achieving its goals to sell its oil products to Venezuela and attend in international waters, as well as its great progress in the nuclear industry .
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that Washington has decided to cancel exemptions from US sanctions that benefit some foreign companies working on nuclear projects in Iran, adding that the decision includes developing the Arak reactor, supplying Tehran's research reactor with enriched uranium and exporting spent Iranian reactor fuel.
Trap and plot
For his part, the Iranian researcher in international affairs, Nawther Shafi’i, sees the American move as a trap to entice his country to take difficult decisions to completely eliminate the nuclear agreement, stressing that Washington's resort to pressure on the parties to the nuclear agreement to not deal with Tehran indicates the failure of the policy of extreme American pressure.
In his talk to Al-Jazeera Net, he pointed out that Washington's decision to cancel the exceptions from sanctions regarding the Iranian nuclear came as a prelude to its main goal of extending the arms embargo on Iran, adding that the latter changed the game by reducing its obligations in the agreement without leaving it, and this is what America does not want.
He described Washington's latest decision as the last nail in the coffin of the nuclear agreement, stressing that the US demand at the moment is for Tehran to take a step that enables Washington to activate the dispute mechanism and restore UN resolutions on Tehran.
Shafi’i concluded that the US decision also targets both Russia and China for their cooperation with the Iranian nuclear program, and he expects the European troika to follow US policies to pressure Russia and China along with the pressure on Iran.
For fear of escalation
In this context, Iranian political researcher Siawash Falah Poor read the American declaration in the context of the policy of maximum pressure on Tehran, describing the last step as representing the last cards of the American administration to record achievement in its name in the Iranian file before the upcoming presidential elections.
He assured Al-Jazeera Net that Tehran would take steps commensurate with the new American restrictions in the framework of the nuclear agreement, but he ruled out his country's submission to Washington, stressing that Tehran's reaction would be followed by new American decisions, which raises the possibilities of conflict between the two sides in the advanced stages.
He added that the period leading up to the upcoming US presidential elections is considered crucial on the Iranian file, explaining that the conflict of wills between Washington and Tehran will be the most prominent title during the coming period.
Although the escalation between Iran and America does not bode well, he said, the spokesman considered that the war option does not favor the US President Donald Trump even before the upcoming elections, warning against developments out of control in the Gulf waters and high seas.
He said that Iran has taken a decision at the highest levels not to retreat one iota regarding the nuclear agreement in the face of American pressure, describing the Iranian steadfastness and the readiness of its armed forces to respond to any American adventure that it has kept the specter of war relatively from his country so far.
Wrong and justify
For his part, the researcher at the Middle East Center for Strategic Studies, Abbas Aslani, said that the United States is the first loser in its recent decision against Tehran, stressing that Washington justified Iran by enriching uranium by 20% after banning its import from Russia.
He assured Al-Jazeera Net that the US administration's restrictions on developing the Arak nuclear reactor will not affect Tehran's nuclear program, especially as it is able to do the job on its own without the need to help foreign companies.
And he considered that Washington made a mistake in its announcement of ending exemptions from nuclear sanctions, explaining that the American decision targets Tehran's partners in the nuclear agreement - especially Russia and China - more than it targets the Iranian nuclear program.
Opportunity
In turn, political science professor Reza Hajj considered that Washington's move came in response to Tehran's insistence to reject its economic sanctions and send gasoline shipments to Venezuela, not caring about the American threats, stressing that his country changed its policy from defensive to offensive towards America.
He told Al-Jazeera Net that Washington would be satisfied with the media hype it was making by imposing sanctions against Tehran to divert attention from its failure to contain the Corona pandemic and its inability to detain Iranian ships heading to Venezuela despite all the threats it made in full view of the world.
Hajj and saw that there is an opportunity for Russia and China to break the thorn of American hegemony by standing beside Tehran, which has become at the forefront of countries that challenge the US administration, he said.