The French magazine "Le Point" (Le Point) said that Russia suddenly played the role of the troublemaker, after representatives of the great powers agreed on a compromise solution that radically limits the nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic in exchange for the lifting of US sanctions stifling its economy, as it stipulated that the agreement be signed on the side of the West easing Sanctions imposed on it after the war on Ukraine.

In a report by Armen Arifi, the magazine explained that Russia - after being subjected to severe US and European sanctions imposed on it in response to its war on Ukraine - decided to take advantage of its main role in the talks to try to ease the screws on its economy, and its head of diplomacy, Sergey Lavrov, said - during a press conference - "We asked Our American colleagues should provide written guarantees that sanctions will not affect our right to free and full trade, economic, investment, and military-technical cooperation with Iran.”

irresponsible أمر

“Initially, we thought that the Russian request was limited to ensuring that sanctions would not prevent the implementation of measures that would allow the implementation of the agreement,” a European diplomat said, as Moscow, for example, had been asked in the past to receive stockpiles of Iranian highly enriched uranium, “but it has been Confirmation later that the demands of Russian guarantees amount to a reversal of many of the sanctions imposed, due to the war on Ukraine, which have nothing to do with the Iran nuclear deal.

Russia demanded, for example, that some Russian banks targeted by sanctions after the Ukraine war be able to take advantage of the waivers with the stated aim of being able to trade with Iran in the event of a nuclear agreement being signed, a veiled attempt to circumvent the sanctions that angered Western advisers, at a time when they took It has new punitive measures after the European Union summit in Versailles, as the writer says.

The European diplomat says, "We have no reason to provide such guarantees within the framework of our policy towards Russia." It is irresponsible by Russia, especially when an agreement is possible and urgently needs to be reached."


Iranian gas

This Russian inaction, which was confirmed at the highest level, caused the suspension of negotiations, while Russia and Iran - two allies - continued to discuss matters, and the Russian ambassador in Tehran confirmed to the Iranian authorities Moscow's position, which angers the Iranians who are in a hurry to sign an agreement before the holiday. The Iranian New Year (Newroz) is on March 20, and another diplomat noted that "the Russians blocked the negotiations, saying that their interests should be taken into account and that they did not support an agreement against them, using this as an excuse."

Aside from the issue of sanctions - as the writer sees - Russia will not be happy with Iran's return to the hydrocarbon market after the nuclear agreement, at a time when the West is looking for an alternative to Russian gas, and the former source says that "the Russians do not want gas to arrive from Iran, which contains the second largest reserves. In the world, to Europe because it will become a competitor to them. They will never accept that the nuclear agreement will improve relations between Iran and the United States and Europe, especially since they know that Iranian public opinion is not hostile to the West. They prefer the current situation."

Moscow is in a position of strength

Although the world - including China, whose chief negotiator Wang Kun expressed his "regret" on the matter - stands unanimously against the new Russian position, Moscow appears more hawkish because it knows that it is in a strong position, because it is impossible to obtain an agreement without Russia's signature in The current composition of the talks, which includes the five members of the Security Council and Germany, and the European diplomat says that "the priority is to find an agreement with Russia, but if it is intransigent in its position, we must consider other options, because there is great urgency for us to end the file."

The writer concluded that every passing day brings Iran closer to the ability to possess enough highly enriched uranium to produce an atomic bomb, and the longer the signing of the agreement is postponed, the greater the Iranian stockpile, which reduces the technical benefits of a diplomatic settlement, but quickly finding an alternative to Russia is not a matter It is easy, because "it is difficult - as Ali Vaez, director of the Iran project at the International Crisis Center - admits - to find an alternative to the Russian role in the agreement, especially the withdrawal of the surplus enriched uranium from Iran," but, as he sees it, it is not impossible, if Iran and the United States really want agreement, and Russia will not be able to prevent it.