Once the nuclear deal is signed
Russia and Iran seek to circumvent Western sanctions
The Russian war on Ukraine hampered the chances of signing the nuclear deal and pushed Russia to focus more on its alliance with Tehran.
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The “axis of evil” is a term that was repeated by former US President George W. Bush on January 29, 2002, to describe Iraq, Iran and North Korea, because he believed that these countries support terrorism and seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction.
The use of this term sparked so much controversy that Bush was forced to refrain from using it.
The British political analyst and researcher, Con Coughlin, believes that the world may soon await the emergence of a new "axis of evil" between Russia and Iran, in light of the poorly appreciated obsession of US President Joe Biden's administration related to reviving the Iranian nuclear agreement.
Coughlin, a defense analyst in the British newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, said in a report published by the American Gatestone Institute, that “in recent months, with negotiations continuing on reviving the Iranian nuclear agreement in Vienna, Western negotiators have expressed concern about the negative support that Iran receives from Russia in talks.
Instead of focusing on major issues, such as Iran's enrichment activities, which Western intelligence services believe are part of Tehran's attempts to develop nuclear weapons, the Russians encouraged the Iranian negotiating team to focus on lesser issues, such as the location of surveillance cameras at Iran's nuclear facilities, which are considered vital. to monitor enrichment facilities.
cooperation agreement
Coughlin, a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute, adds, “Western security officials believe that Iran and Russia have struck a cooperation agreement to work together to avoid Western sanctions once the Biden administration agrees to a new nuclear deal.
It is known that Iran has established a secret system of banking and financial affairs to deal with tens of billions of dollars in prohibited annual trade, according to the sanctions led by the United States.
According to the American newspaper, "The Wall Street Journal," the Iranian regime has accounts in foreign commercial banks, proxy companies registered abroad, commercial institutions that coordinate prohibited trade, and a clearinghouse for transactions inside Iran.
Detours
"The Kremlin is in dire need of finding ways to circumvent Western sanctions, which were imposed in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine," Coughlin said.
The sanctions have had a devastating effect on the Russian economy, with the Russian ruble losing half its value since the beginning of this year.
To mitigate the impact of sanctions, which are likely to continue as long as Putin remains in power, the Kremlin is actively seeking new opportunities to bypass sanctions.
According to Western security officials, in secret negotiations between Russian and Iranian officials in recent weeks, Iran has offered Russia permission to participate in its illegal network that evades sanctions in return for Russia's support in reaching a new nuclear deal.
Iran is eager to sign a new agreement in exchange for the Biden administration's agreement to lift the stifling economic sanctions against Iran, which, despite its efforts to avoid them, still negatively affect the country's economy, leading to widespread protests against the Iranian regime.
European officials involved in the talks said last month that there was an agreement "essentially ready and on the table", but the talks stalled after Russia demanded that its current trade relations with Iran not be affected as a result of Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
It is reported that Russia and Iran are already negotiating a multi-billion dollar arms deal, including the purchase of Russian warplanes and submarines, and Moscow is keen not to be undone due to Western sanctions.
Thus, Russia is looking to Iran to support it in circumventing Western sanctions.
Following a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in China recently, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that Moscow will cooperate with Tehran to take steps to avoid Western sanctions, according to the Russian RIA Novosti news agency.
Planned
Coughlin believes that Western security officials believe that there is already a blueprint for an agreement between Moscow and Tehran to overcome sanctions, including Iran's promise not to implement Western sanctions against Russia.
As part of the deal, Iran offered to use its existing network to circumvent sanctions to help Russia sell its oil on international markets once the nuclear deal was signed, and sanctions against Iran were lifted.
Certainly, Russia and Iran's plans to cooperate in circumventing international sanctions provide a strong case for ending the Biden administration's keen interest in concluding a new nuclear deal with Iran, Coughlin says.
The White House has already come under fire in the wake of Iran's latest demand in the Vienna talks that the United States agree to remove the IRGC from its list of foreign terrorist organizations.
The prospects of Washington agreeing to this demand may have changed slightly, but not enough, after the United States recently imposed new sanctions on Iran, and on one of the units of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, in response to the recent missile attacks on Iraq, the UAE, and the Kingdom Saudi Arabia, carried out by Houthi rebels and Iranian-backed Shiite militias.
Coughlin believes, at the conclusion of his report, that imposing these measures is certainly an admission, long overdue, on the part of the Biden administration, that Iran is simply using the nuclear negotiations to advance its regional ambitions.
The fact that Iran and Russia are now actively colluding to circumvent Western sanctions and thus constitute a new "axis of evil" should eventually persuade the White House to end its involvement altogether in this massive act of diplomatic folly.
• The Iranian regime owns accounts in foreign commercial banks, proxy companies registered outside the country, commercial establishments that coordinate prohibited trade, and a clearing house for transactions inside Iran.
• Western security officials believe that there is already a plan for an agreement between Moscow and Tehran to overcome sanctions, including Iran's promise not to implement Western sanctions against Russia. As part of the deal, Iran offered to use its existing network to circumvent sanctions to help Russia sell its oil on international markets once the nuclear deal was signed, and sanctions against Iran were lifted.
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