Saudi Arabia is hoping to mediate between the Trump administration and Iran to work towards a new agreement that would curb Tehran&rsquo;s nuclear ambitions, according to a CNN report.
The report states that Saudi officials are worried Iran may now be more likely to develop nuclear weapons. This concern comes as Iran&rsquo;s regional allies, which once acted as a deterrent against Israeli attacks, have weakened.
Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/trump-20-arrogance-election-interference-censorship-hypocrisy-8726348" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">Trump 2.0: Arrogance, election interference, censorship hypocrisy</a>
Although US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/donald-trump" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">Donald Trump</a> has shown his desire to negotiate a new deal, Iran&rsquo;s stance has been inconsistent. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently said that negotiations with the United States were &ldquo;not smart."
<h2>Saudi-Iran ties</h2>
In the past, Saudi Arabia supported the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major world powers but later backed Trump&rsquo;s decision to withdraw from it in 2018.
A year after the US pullout, a major drone and missile attack hit Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s oil facilities, temporarily cutting production in half. Yemen&rsquo;s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility, but the US blamed Iran. However, despite this, the US did not take military action in defence of Saudi Arabia.
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have improved significantly since then. In March 2023, the two countries agreed to restore diplomatic ties in a deal brokered by China.
Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israeli-pm-netanyahu-thanks-us-president-trump-for-full-support-on-gaza-8725325" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">Israeli PM Netanyahu thanks US President Trump for 'full support' on Gaza</a>
According to the CNN report, Saudi officials fear that if Iran feels isolated, it may be more likely to develop nuclear weapons. Officials in Riyadh see a new agreement as a way to prevent this.
<h2>Trump's repeated calls for a new deal with Iran</h2>
Since returning to office, Trump has repeatedly called for a new deal with Iran. Last week, he posted on Truth Social, &ldquo;I want Iran to be a great and successful Country, but one that cannot have a Nuclear Weapon. Reports that the United States, working in conjunction with Israel, is going to blow Iran into smithereens are GREATLY EXAGGERATED."
Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/trump-20-quad-challenges-for-indian-diplomacy-8722300" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">Trump 2.0 &amp; Quad: Challenges for Indian Diplomacy</a>
He added, &ldquo;I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will allow Iran to grow peacefully and prosper. We should start working on it immediately and celebrate in the Middle East when it is signed. God Bless the Middle East!&rdquo;
However, not everyone in Iran is convinced by Trump&rsquo;s statements. On Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian questioned whether he was truly committed to a new nuclear deal. Meanwhile, Supreme Leader Khamenei has remained sceptical, saying last week that talks with the US are &ldquo;not smart, wise, or honourable&rdquo; due to its withdrawal from the 2015 agreement. However, he did not completely rule out future discussions with Washington.
(With inputs from agencies)

World: Although Trump has showed his desire to negotiate a new deal, Iran’s stance has been inconsistent. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently said that negotiations with the United States were “not smart."

Saudi Arabia is hoping to mediate between the Trump administration and Iran to work towards a new agreement that would curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, according to a CNN report. The report states that Saudi officials are worried Iran may now be more likely to develop nuclear weapons. This concern comes as Iran’s regional allies, which once acted as a deterrent against Israeli attacks, have weakened. Also read: Trump 2.0: Arrogance, election interference, censorship hypocrisy Although US President Donald Trump has shown his desire to negotiate a new deal, Iran’s stance has been inconsistent. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently said that negotiations with the United States were “not smart." Saudi-Iran ties In the past, Saudi Arabia supported the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major world powers but later backed Trump’s decision to withdraw from it in 2018. A year after the US pullout, a major drone and missile attack hit Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities, temporarily cutting production in half. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility, but the US blamed Iran. However, despite this, the US did not take military action in defence of Saudi Arabia. Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have improved significantly since then. In March 2023, the two countries agreed to restore diplomatic ties in a deal brokered by China. Also read: Israeli PM Netanyahu thanks US President Trump for 'full support' on Gaza According to the CNN report, Saudi officials fear that if Iran feels isolated, it may be more likely to develop nuclear weapons. Officials in Riyadh see a new agreement as a way to prevent this. Trump's repeated calls for a new deal with Iran Since returning to office, Trump has repeatedly called for a new deal with Iran. Last week, he posted on Truth Social, “I want Iran to be a great and successful Country, but one that cannot have a Nuclear Weapon. Reports that the United States, working in conjunction with Israel, is going to blow Iran into smithereens are GREATLY EXAGGERATED." Also read: Trump 2.0 & Quad: Challenges for Indian Diplomacy He added, “I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will allow Iran to grow peacefully and prosper. We should start working on it immediately and celebrate in the Middle East when it is signed. God Bless the Middle East!” However, not everyone in Iran is convinced by Trump’s statements. On Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian questioned whether he was truly committed to a new nuclear deal. Meanwhile, Supreme Leader Khamenei has remained sceptical, saying last week that talks with the US are “not smart, wise, or honourable” due to its withdrawal from the 2015 agreement. However, he did not completely rule out future discussions with Washington. (With inputs from agencies)

Saudi Arabia fears Iran may go nuclear, seeks to broker new Trump-Tehran deal: Report

Iran's foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, has warned that the country’s internal debate on nuclear policy could shift towards developing nuclear weapons if Western nations proceed with threats to reinstate all UN sanctions.

Iran's foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, has warned that the country’s internal debate on nuclear policy could shift towards developing nuclear weapons if Western nations proceed with threats to reinstate all UN sanctions. In an interview, Araghchi said that Iran already possesses the capability and expertise to produce nuclear weapons but stressed that such weapons are not part of its security strategy. He also confirmed Iran’s continued support for Hezbollah in Lebanon. European negotiators want confrontation Speaking ahead of a meeting between Iranian and European negotiators in Geneva, Araghchi described the talks as a “brainstorming session” aimed at breaking the current deadlock. However, he expressed doubts about the outcome, admitting he was pessimistic about whether Iran was engaging with the right parties. Araghchi accused European nations of pursuing confrontation. He referred to a recent meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), where a European-backed resolution criticised Iran for failing to cooperate with inspectors and building a uranium stockpile with no apparent civilian use. Also read: Trump says Mexico agreed to 'stop' migration; Mexican President clarifies He claimed that IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had initially agreed to halt the censure motion after Iran proposed capping uranium enrichment at 60% purity and allowing four inspectors access to its nuclear sites. “He failed because the Europeans had decided on the course of confrontation,” Araghchi alleged. Iran wants 'dignified resolution through cooperation' “We have no intention to go beyond 60% for now, and this is our current determination,” he said. “We still aim for a dignified resolution to this issue through cooperation.” However, he admitted growing domestic dissatisfaction with Iran’s nuclear engagement with the West. “There is a debate in Iran—among elites and ordinary citizens—over whether our nuclear policy has been a mistake,” he said. “We did everything they asked, but when it was time for them to lift sanctions, they didn’t. This has led many to question whether our approach has been wrong.” Araghchi warned that if European countries reimpose UN sanctions, it would reinforce this sentiment. “If sanctions are reimposed, it will convince everyone in Iran that our nuclear doctrine has been flawed,” he said. He added that such a move could lead to a major crisis. “After years of negotiation and compliance, Iran could find itself back under Chapter Seven of the UN charter. If that happens, many will believe we need to change direction.” (With inputs from agencies)

'Did everything they asked,' Iran's foreign minister hints at nuclear weapons program if sanctions return

The latest round of talks on the revival of the Iran nuclear deal or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ended in Vienna on August 8, with all parties returning back to their respective capitals for ‘political consultations’. The talks were convened as a part of one last-ditch effort by Josep Borrell, EU’s high representative along with the lead Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani in yet another bid to revive the deal. Earlier too, eight rounds of talks in Vienna since April 2021 did not yield any positive results. It may be recalled that the Iran Nuclear Deal was revoked unilaterally by the US under President Trump in May 2018, calling it the “most horrible deal ever”. Talks to revive the deal and restore the JCPOA began in right earnest only in April 2021, soon after Joe Biden took over as the US president. At the end of the eighth round of talks in January 2022, the talks were paused for participants ‘go back to capitals for consultations’. In addition to the Vienna talks, there was also a round of indirect talks hosted at Doha on 28-29 June, which too failed to deliver despite initial positive messaging from both sides.

Politically, neither Iran nor the US look to budge from their stand on critical issues. There are basically two key sticking points to the nuclear deal; first is a sovereign assurance sought from the US by Iran that America will not unilaterally revoke the deal in future, and secondly, all economic sanctions imposed under “false excuses” must be lifted. It is also seeking that IRGC should be delisted from the list of foreign terrorist organizations. On all these issues, the US is not ready to concede yet. Any hopes of an early resolution were dashed by the IAEA's June 6 resolution formally criticising Iran for a lack of cooperation and failure to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites in Iran. On the same day, the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC), a group of countries led by the US and Gulf nations, sanctioned three individuals associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) on terror financing. In an almost immediate response, Iran started removing surveillance cameras from nuclear sites in the country, rendering the IAEA blind to nuclear activities in the Iranian plants.

Why is JCPOA important?

JCPOA, signed on July 14, 2015, and effective from January 2016, was a landmark deal, negotiated over five years between Iran and P5 plus1. It was an ‘instrument of faith’ between the two parties with strict checks and balances which was aimed to ensure that a strict vigil was kept on Iran’s nuclear program, lest Iran develops a nuclear weapon and at the same time, tough and crippling economic sanctions against Iran were to be revoked giving Iran the much needed economic relief. It was a win-win situation for both parties. Scaling down of the nuclear program by Iran coupled with strict monitoring by IAEA ensured that the delicate security and geopolitical balance in the region was not altered. Similarly, Iran was able to again commence its crude oil and natural gas trade and also invite global investments to prop its economy. With the US scaling down its active involvement in military conflicts in the West Asian region and Afghanistan under President Obama, it was necessary to ensure that the potential nuclear threat from Iran was contained and thus JCPOA was clearly a very critical and important deal towards that goal.

What happened to JCPOA?

Iran was sincere towards the implementation of the JCPOA and did everything that was required of it. Under the deal, Iran could not operate more than 5,000 first-generation IR-1 centrifuges to enrich uranium, that too, only up-to to 3.67 per cent. All uranium enriched to 20 per cent was to be scrapped or shipped out, the core of its Heavy Water Plant at Arak was to be demobilised and most importantly, Iran agreed to ‘anywhere, anytime’ inspections of its nuclear facilities by the IAEA and UN inspectors. Iran stuck to the deal and on 16th January 2016, designated as the Implementation Day, the IAEA verified that Iran had met its all nuclear related commitments, triggering the lifting of sanctions on Iran.

Despite former US president Trump unilaterally pulling out of the deal in May 2018, Iran continued compliance till March 6, 2019, the last time that IAEA reported that Iran was implementing all its nuclear-related commitments. The US designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on April 8, 2019, was a trigger which was followed immediately by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announcing on April 9 that Iran will install a cascade of 20 IR-6 centrifuges at Natanz. There has been no stopping thereafter in Iran scaling up its nuclear program.

How is Iran making the nuclear deal irrelevant?

As far as Iran is concerned, three things are vitally important to it; firstly is the removal of economic sanctions which are hurting it badly, secondly is its right towards a peaceful nuclear program meant for ‘medical research and other peaceful uses’, and thirdly is safeguarding its own role and standing in the region as a major regional power.

Of all these, the economy is perhaps the most important and Iran has been steadily working on working around the sanctions over the years. Its 25-year strategic partnership with China offers a large assured market of oil as well as non-oil trade. The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, too, has provided an opportunity for Iran. Both Russia and China have joined forces and have challenged the western-oriented Dollar trade system based on SWIFT clearance system and have proposed their own trade system. India too announced a sovereign international trade clearing system based on Rupee payment in July 2022. With Iran enjoying close ties with each of these nations, such alternate systems open up great trade opportunities for Iran. This, when seen in the context of the ongoing US-China standoff, India exercising its sovereign choices to buy oil from Russia (and possibly from Iran) and Turkey recently announcing that it will pay Russia in Rubles for natural gas, provide a perfect opportunity for Iran to leverage it and join alternate payment systems and mutual arrangements with these countries to bypass sanctions. Also, with Syria under President Assad stabilizing politically and Iraq heavily under Iran's influence, oil exports through these countries provide additional revenue to Iran. It is perhaps due to this and more loopholes being exploited by Iran that the US Treasury, on 02nd August announced sanctions against UAE and HK-based companies accused of facilitating the sale and transfer of Iranian petrochemical products. On the same day, a media report quoted United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI), a watchdog group that tracks Iran's network of illegal oil tankers, stating that Iran’s export revenues between March 2021 and March 2022 from oil, gas, and related products totalled $39 billion, compared to $22 billion for the previous year, a rise of 77 per cent and an extra $17 billion, with exports primarily to China and Syria. Iran is therefore slowly and steadily working around economic sanctions imposed by the US.

The second issue is the nuclear enrichment program. Iran commenced nuclear enrichment beyond the stipulated limits of JCPOA in April 2019. Later, on 02nd December 2021, Iran's Guardian Council approved the legislation mandating the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to increase enrichment levels to 20 per cent and to suspend implementation of the Additional Protocol in 60 days if sanctions are not addressed. On 13th April this year, soon after a cyber-attack on the Natanz nuclear plant, Iran announced its intention to enrich uranium to 60 per cent. A resolution adopted by the IAEA on 06th June formally criticizing Iran for a lack of cooperation with it prompted Iran to switch off surveillance cameras resulting in the IAEA having no information on the progress of nuclear enrichment in Iranian plants. Most recently, on 02nd August, Iran announced its plans for further enrichment and stockpiling after the US announced sanctions on companies of UAE and Hong Kong for petrochemical trade with Iran. IR6 centrifuges are enriching uranium at a fast pace and with 27 surveillance cameras switched off, IAEA and the world is virtually blind to Iran’s nuclear activities. With each passing day, Iran is close to stockpiling enough ‘Highly Enriched Uranium’ to produce a nuclear weapon, if it so wants.

Last is the issue of geopolitical alignments in the region. Here too, Iran has been carefully forging new ties. The GCC-Qatar standoff in June 2017 brought Qatar closer to Iran. Turkey too is realigning ties with Iran with President Raisi calling the Turkish president’s visit to Tehran in July this year an "important turning point" in improving the relations between the two neighbouring countries. With Saudi Arabia, there have been five rounds of talks, mediated by Iraq, and there were recent reports of both foreign ministers likely to meet soon. The Yemen ceasefire is holding off since Ramadan, an important factor in ties with Saudi Arabia. With UAE, too, there has been a marked progress. UAE recently announced the return of its ambassador to Tehran, and in December 2021, UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Tehran, signalling an approach to the normalisation of ties. Although it is too premature to say that Iran would be accepted as a trustworthy partner in the largely Sunni Arab world, but new emerging dynamics maybe be beneficial to Iran in the long run.

Conclusion

For P5 plus 1, the Iran nuclear deal is very important. It gives them and the world an effective control who can watch over suspected Iran’s nuclear weapons program. For Iran, on the other hand, the nuclear deal has now become more of a bargaining chip for issues which transcend the limited context of the nuclear program. Each passing day is making it more and more difficult for the deal to be revived. The world will perhaps one day rue the manner in which former US president Trump blew up the deal and virtually let Iran off the hook. Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, at the conclusion of the Vienna talks on August 8 said, “What can be negotiated has been negotiated, and it’s now in a final text.” The deal is clearly now more than mere technicalities and requires political decision making at the highest level&nbsp;at both ends. Meanwhile, Iran is merrily chugging along, making sure that deal or no deal&nbsp;it is doing enough to safeguard its interests.

The latest round of talks on the revival of the Iran nuclear deal or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ended in Vienna on August 8, with all parties returning back to their respective capitals for ‘political consultations’.

The latest round of talks on the revival of the Iran nuclear deal or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ended in Vienna on August 8, with all parties returning back to their respective capitals for ‘political consultations’. The talks were convened as a part of one last-ditch effort by Josep Borrell, EU’s high representative along with the lead Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani in yet another bid to revive the deal. Earlier too, eight rounds of talks in Vienna since April 2021 did not yield any positive results. It may be recalled that the Iran Nuclear Deal was revoked unilaterally by the US under President Trump in May 2018, calling it the “most horrible deal ever”. Talks to revive the deal and restore the JCPOA began in right earnest only in April 2021, soon after Joe Biden took over as the US president. At the end of the eighth round of talks in January 2022, the talks were paused for participants ‘go back to capitals for consultations’. In addition to the Vienna talks, there was also a round of indirect talks hosted at Doha on 28-29 June, which too failed to deliver despite initial positive messaging from both sides. Politically, neither Iran nor the US look to budge from their stand on critical issues. There are basically two key sticking points to the nuclear deal; first is a sovereign assurance sought from the US by Iran that America will not unilaterally revoke the deal in future, and secondly, all economic sanctions imposed under “false excuses” must be lifted. It is also seeking that IRGC should be delisted from the list of foreign terrorist organizations. On all these issues, the US is not ready to concede yet. Any hopes of an early resolution were dashed by the IAEA's June 6 resolution formally criticising Iran for a lack of cooperation and failure to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites in Iran. On the same day, the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC), a group of countries led by the US and Gulf nations, sanctioned three individuals associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) on terror financing. In an almost immediate response, Iran started removing surveillance cameras from nuclear sites in the country, rendering the IAEA blind to nuclear activities in the Iranian plants. Why is JCPOA important? JCPOA, signed on July 14, 2015, and effective from January 2016, was a landmark deal, negotiated over five years between Iran and P5 plus1. It was an ‘instrument of faith’ between the two parties with strict checks and balances which was aimed to ensure that a strict vigil was kept on Iran’s nuclear program, lest Iran develops a nuclear weapon and at the same time, tough and crippling economic sanctions against Iran were to be revoked giving Iran the much needed economic relief. It was a win-win situation for both parties. Scaling down of the nuclear program by Iran coupled with strict monitoring by IAEA ensured that the delicate security and geopolitical balance in the region was not altered. Similarly, Iran was able to again commence its crude oil and natural gas trade and also invite global investments to prop its economy. With the US scaling down its active involvement in military conflicts in the West Asian region and Afghanistan under President Obama, it was necessary to ensure that the potential nuclear threat from Iran was contained and thus JCPOA was clearly a very critical and important deal towards that goal. What happened to JCPOA? Iran was sincere towards the implementation of the JCPOA and did everything that was required of it. Under the deal, Iran could not operate more than 5,000 first-generation IR-1 centrifuges to enrich uranium, that too, only up-to to 3.67 per cent. All uranium enriched to 20 per cent was to be scrapped or shipped out, the core of its Heavy Water Plant at Arak was to be demobilised and most importantly, Iran agreed to ‘anywhere, anytime’ inspections of its nuclear facilities by the IAEA and UN inspectors. Iran stuck to the deal and on 16th January 2016, designated as the Implementation Day, the IAEA verified that Iran had met its all nuclear related commitments, triggering the lifting of sanctions on Iran. Despite former US president Trump unilaterally pulling out of the deal in May 2018, Iran continued compliance till March 6, 2019, the last time that IAEA reported that Iran was implementing all its nuclear-related commitments. The US designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on April 8, 2019, was a trigger which was followed immediately by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announcing on April 9 that Iran will install a cascade of 20 IR-6 centrifuges at Natanz. There has been no stopping thereafter in Iran scaling up its nuclear program. How is Iran making the nuclear deal irrelevant? As far as Iran is concerned, three things are vitally important to it; firstly is the removal of economic sanctions which are hurting it badly, secondly is its right towards a peaceful nuclear program meant for ‘medical research and other peaceful uses’, and thirdly is safeguarding its own role and standing in the region as a major regional power. Of all these, the economy is perhaps the most important and Iran has been steadily working on working around the sanctions over the years. Its 25-year strategic partnership with China offers a large assured market of oil as well as non-oil trade. The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, too, has provided an opportunity for Iran. Both Russia and China have joined forces and have challenged the western-oriented Dollar trade system based on SWIFT clearance system and have proposed their own trade system. India too announced a sovereign international trade clearing system based on Rupee payment in July 2022. With Iran enjoying close ties with each of these nations, such alternate systems open up great trade opportunities for Iran. This, when seen in the context of the ongoing US-China standoff, India exercising its sovereign choices to buy oil from Russia (and possibly from Iran) and Turkey recently announcing that it will pay Russia in Rubles for natural gas, provide a perfect opportunity for Iran to leverage it and join alternate payment systems and mutual arrangements with these countries to bypass sanctions. Also, with Syria under President Assad stabilizing politically and Iraq heavily under Iran's influence, oil exports through these countries provide additional revenue to Iran. It is perhaps due to this and more loopholes being exploited by Iran that the US Treasury, on 02nd August announced sanctions against UAE and HK-based companies accused of facilitating the sale and transfer of Iranian petrochemical products. On the same day, a media report quoted United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI), a watchdog group that tracks Iran's network of illegal oil tankers, stating that Iran’s export revenues between March 2021 and March 2022 from oil, gas, and related products totalled $39 billion, compared to $22 billion for the previous year, a rise of 77 per cent and an extra $17 billion, with exports primarily to China and Syria. Iran is therefore slowly and steadily working around economic sanctions imposed by the US. The second issue is the nuclear enrichment program. Iran commenced nuclear enrichment beyond the stipulated limits of JCPOA in April 2019. Later, on 02nd December 2021, Iran's Guardian Council approved the legislation mandating the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to increase enrichment levels to 20 per cent and to suspend implementation of the Additional Protocol in 60 days if sanctions are not addressed. On 13th April this year, soon after a cyber-attack on the Natanz nuclear plant, Iran announced its intention to enrich uranium to 60 per cent. A resolution adopted by the IAEA on 06th June formally criticizing Iran for a lack of cooperation with it prompted Iran to switch off surveillance cameras resulting in the IAEA having no information on the progress of nuclear enrichment in Iranian plants. Most recently, on 02nd August, Iran announced its plans for further enrichment and stockpiling after the US announced sanctions on companies of UAE and Hong Kong for petrochemical trade with Iran. IR6 centrifuges are enriching uranium at a fast pace and with 27 surveillance cameras switched off, IAEA and the world is virtually blind to Iran’s nuclear activities. With each passing day, Iran is close to stockpiling enough ‘Highly Enriched Uranium’ to produce a nuclear weapon, if it so wants. Last is the issue of geopolitical alignments in the region. Here too, Iran has been carefully forging new ties. The GCC-Qatar standoff in June 2017 brought Qatar closer to Iran. Turkey too is realigning ties with Iran with President Raisi calling the Turkish president’s visit to Tehran in July this year an "important turning point" in improving the relations between the two neighbouring countries. With Saudi Arabia, there have been five rounds of talks, mediated by Iraq, and there were recent reports of both foreign ministers likely to meet soon. The Yemen ceasefire is holding off since Ramadan, an important factor in ties with Saudi Arabia. With UAE, too, there has been a marked progress. UAE recently announced the return of its ambassador to Tehran, and in December 2021, UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Tehran, signalling an approach to the normalisation of ties. Although it is too premature to say that Iran would be accepted as a trustworthy partner in the largely Sunni Arab world, but new emerging dynamics maybe be beneficial to Iran in the long run. Conclusion For P5 plus 1, the Iran nuclear deal is very important. It gives them and the world an effective control who can watch over suspected Iran’s nuclear weapons program. For Iran, on the other hand, the nuclear deal has now become more of a bargaining chip for issues which transcend the limited context of the nuclear program. Each passing day is making it more and more difficult for the deal to be revived. The world will perhaps one day rue the manner in which former US president Trump blew up the deal and virtually let Iran off the hook. Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, at the conclusion of the Vienna talks on August 8 said, “What can be negotiated has been negotiated, and it’s now in a final text.” The deal is clearly now more than mere technicalities and requires political decision making at the highest level at both ends. Meanwhile, Iran is merrily chugging along, making sure that deal or no deal it is doing enough to safeguard its interests.

With JCPOA revival uncertain, Iran is slowly and surely making the nuclear deal irrelevant

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Oman on Monday as the two countries signed a string of trade deals and as international talks on Tehran's nuclear programme hang in the balance, leaving the Islamic republic under sanctions.

Raisi, on his second Gulf visit since taking office in August, was greeted by Sultan Haitham bin Tareq at the airport and received a 21-gun salute at the royal palace, an Omani statement said.

Raisi's one-day trip comes at a time when renewed talks on restoring a 2015 nuclear deal are at a stalemate. Oman played a mediating role between Tehran and Washington in the build-up to the original agreement.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-nuclear-deal-talks-are-reopened-says-eu-478647">Iran nuclear deal talks are 'reopened', says EU</a>

The countries signed 12 memoranda of understanding during the visit, including in the fields of oil and gas, transport, education, trade and investment, reported the official Oman News Agency.

"Trade exchanges between the two countries of Oman and Iran will improve definitely," Raisi said before departure, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA.

"Both countries are determined to upgrade the level of political and economic ties," he added.

A delegation of 50 Iranian businessmen travelled to Oman last week, IRNA said, adding that Iran's minister for roads and urban development has announced plans for a joint shipping line and tourist flights.

Watch |&nbsp;Iran: Revolutionary Guards colonel Sayyad Khodai shot dead in Tehran attack

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Oman is also seeking to import gas from Iran by building an offshore pipeline between the two countries, who are discussing the development of joint gas fields offshore.

The sultanate, which faces Iran across the Gulf of Oman, endured economic pain during the pandemic, with its GDP dropping 6.4 per cent in 2020 and government debt soaring. It saw rare protests over high unemployment and lay-offs last year.

Raisi visited Qatar in February, where he met with Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and took part in a conference of gas exporting countries.

Stop-start talks to bring Iran back to the 2015 deal curbing its nuclear ambitions in return for a lifting of sanctions that was abandoned by former US President Donald Trump in 2018, began in April last year.

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Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Oman on Monday as the two countries signed a string of trade deals and as international talks on Tehran's nuclear programme hang in the balance, leaving the Islamic republic under sanctions.

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Oman on Monday as the two countries signed a string of trade deals and as international talks on Tehran's nuclear programme hang in the balance, leaving the Islamic republic under sanctions. Raisi, on his second Gulf visit since taking office in August, was greeted by Sultan Haitham bin Tareq at the airport and received a 21-gun salute at the royal palace, an Omani statement said. Raisi's one-day trip comes at a time when renewed talks on restoring a 2015 nuclear deal are at a stalemate. Oman played a mediating role between Tehran and Washington in the build-up to the original agreement. Also read | Iran nuclear deal talks are 'reopened', says EU The countries signed 12 memoranda of understanding during the visit, including in the fields of oil and gas, transport, education, trade and investment, reported the official Oman News Agency. "Trade exchanges between the two countries of Oman and Iran will improve definitely," Raisi said before departure, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA. "Both countries are determined to upgrade the level of political and economic ties," he added. A delegation of 50 Iranian businessmen travelled to Oman last week, IRNA said, adding that Iran's minister for roads and urban development has announced plans for a joint shipping line and tourist flights. Watch | Iran: Revolutionary Guards colonel Sayyad Khodai shot dead in Tehran attack Oman is also seeking to import gas from Iran by building an offshore pipeline between the two countries, who are discussing the development of joint gas fields offshore. The sultanate, which faces Iran across the Gulf of Oman, endured economic pain during the pandemic, with its GDP dropping 6.4 per cent in 2020 and government debt soaring. It saw rare protests over high unemployment and lay-offs last year. Raisi visited Qatar in February, where he met with Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and took part in a conference of gas exporting countries. Stop-start talks to bring Iran back to the 2015 deal curbing its nuclear ambitions in return for a lifting of sanctions that was abandoned by former US President Donald Trump in 2018, began in April last year. Watch WION LIVE HERE: You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Oman, Iran sign trade deals, MoUs during President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Gulf

Israel and the United States will cooperate in preventing a nuclear-armed Iran despite disagreements they have over an emerging nuclear deal, Israel's foreign minister said on Sunday.

"We have disagreements about a nuclear agreement and its consequences, but open and honest dialogue is part of the strength of our friendship," Yair Lapid said in Jerusalem during a joint press conference with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"Israel and the United States will continue to work together to prevent a nuclear Iran."

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Speaking alongside his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, Blinken said the US believes restoring the agreement was "the best way to put Iran's programme back in the box that it was in but has escaped" after the US withdrew from the deal under former president Donald Trump in 2018.&nbsp;

Despite long-standing disagreements with Israel over the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Blinken stressed that "when it comes to the most important element, we see eye-to-eye".&nbsp;

"We are both committed, both determined, that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon."

Iran insists its nuclear programme is for civilian use only. &nbsp;

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Lapid said Israel had "disagreements" with Washington about the Iranian nuclear issue, which it was airing with its key ally in "open and honest dialogue".&nbsp;

"Israel will do anything we believe is needed to stop the Iranian nuclear programme. Anything," Lapid said.&nbsp;

"From our point of view, the Iranian threat is not theoretical. The Iranians want to destroy Israel. They will not succeed. We will not let them."

Blinken’s trip was rescheduled several times due to developments in Ukraine, and he arrived late Saturday in Israel from Warsaw after breaking off from President Joe Biden’s Ukraine-dominated visit to Belgium and Poland.

Blinken’s visit also comes as talks over salvaging a landmark nuclear deal with Iran are winding down amid fears in Israel and among Gulf Arab nations that an agreement may not be tough enough to curb Tehran’s regional aggressiveness.

Israel fiercely opposed the initial accord, which promised its enemy Iran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear programme, and has said that a revived agreement will not do nearly enough to curb the Iranian threat.&nbsp;

Underscoring regional anxieties, Israel’s government has hastily arranged a meeting of top diplomats from Arab countries that have normalized relations with Israel.

In addition to Blinken and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, their counterparts from Bahrain, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates will attend.

Those three countries normalised relations with Israel in 2020 in the so-called Abraham Accords brokered by the Trump administration.

(With inputs from agencies)

Israel and the United States will cooperate in preventing a nuclear-armed Iran despite disagreements they have over an emerging nuclear deal, Israel's foreign minister said on Sunday.

Israel and the United States will cooperate in preventing a nuclear-armed Iran despite disagreements they have over an emerging nuclear deal, Israel's foreign minister said on Sunday. "We have disagreements about a nuclear agreement and its consequences, but open and honest dialogue is part of the strength of our friendship," Yair Lapid said in Jerusalem during a joint press conference with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "Israel and the United States will continue to work together to prevent a nuclear Iran." Speaking alongside his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, Blinken said the US believes restoring the agreement was "the best way to put Iran's programme back in the box that it was in but has escaped" after the US withdrew from the deal under former president Donald Trump in 2018. Despite long-standing disagreements with Israel over the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Blinken stressed that "when it comes to the most important element, we see eye-to-eye". "We are both committed, both determined, that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon." Iran insists its nuclear programme is for civilian use only. Also read | Nuclear agreement with Iran very close, says EU Lapid said Israel had "disagreements" with Washington about the Iranian nuclear issue, which it was airing with its key ally in "open and honest dialogue". "Israel will do anything we believe is needed to stop the Iranian nuclear programme. Anything," Lapid said. "From our point of view, the Iranian threat is not theoretical. The Iranians want to destroy Israel. They will not succeed. We will not let them." Blinken’s trip was rescheduled several times due to developments in Ukraine, and he arrived late Saturday in Israel from Warsaw after breaking off from President Joe Biden’s Ukraine-dominated visit to Belgium and Poland. Blinken’s visit also comes as talks over salvaging a landmark nuclear deal with Iran are winding down amid fears in Israel and among Gulf Arab nations that an agreement may not be tough enough to curb Tehran’s regional aggressiveness. Israel fiercely opposed the initial accord, which promised its enemy Iran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear programme, and has said that a revived agreement will not do nearly enough to curb the Iranian threat. Underscoring regional anxieties, Israel’s government has hastily arranged a meeting of top diplomats from Arab countries that have normalized relations with Israel. In addition to Blinken and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, their counterparts from Bahrain, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates will attend. Those three countries normalised relations with Israel in 2020 in the so-called Abraham Accords brokered by the Trump administration. (With inputs from agencies)

Israel working with United States to prevent nuclear Iran: Foreign Minister Yair Lapid

Foreign ministers from the Gulf, Iran, and Turkey were separately heading to China this week for talks, China's foreign ministry said, while discussions were underway in Vienna on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and the Secretary-General of Gulf Cooperation Council were visiting China between Monday and Friday.

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Turkey's foreign minister was set to visit on Wednesday and Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Friday, the ministry said.

"China and Iran resolutely support each other on the core issues," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a press conference on Tuesday.

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Amirabdollahian will discuss a 25-year cooperation agreement signed by the two countries, Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday. China became a lifeline for Iran's economy after the United States withdrew in 2018 from a nuclear agreement agreed between major powers and Tehran.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met the Bahraini and Saudi ministers on Monday and Tuesday and exchanged views on the Iran nuclear talks, the ministry said.

Although not part of the Vienna talks, Gulf countries including Saudi have expressed concern about Iran's nuclear ambitions, its missiles programme and regional proxies.

Wang Yi told his Saudi counterpart that while the global non-proliferation system must be safeguarded, the "just and reasonable concerns" of countries in the region should also be considered.

Economic matters were also discussed, and a Chinese statement said Beijing was willing to cooperate with Riyadh on new energy, e-commerce, law enforcement and archaeological projects. 
&nbsp;

Foreign ministers from the Gulf, Iran, and Turkey were separately heading to China this week for talks, China's foreign ministry said, while discussions were underway in Vienna on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Foreign ministers from the Gulf, Iran, and Turkey were separately heading to China this week for talks, China's foreign ministry said, while discussions were underway in Vienna on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and the Secretary-General of Gulf Cooperation Council were visiting China between Monday and Friday. Also read | Amid rise in Omicron cases, China imposes travel restrictions in Tianjin Turkey's foreign minister was set to visit on Wednesday and Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Friday, the ministry said. "China and Iran resolutely support each other on the core issues," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a press conference on Tuesday. Also read | Sri Lanka seeks Chinese debt reschedule amid economic crisis Amirabdollahian will discuss a 25-year cooperation agreement signed by the two countries, Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday. China became a lifeline for Iran's economy after the United States withdrew in 2018 from a nuclear agreement agreed between major powers and Tehran. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met the Bahraini and Saudi ministers on Monday and Tuesday and exchanged views on the Iran nuclear talks, the ministry said. Although not part of the Vienna talks, Gulf countries including Saudi have expressed concern about Iran's nuclear ambitions, its missiles programme and regional proxies. Wang Yi told his Saudi counterpart that while the global non-proliferation system must be safeguarded, the "just and reasonable concerns" of countries in the region should also be considered. Economic matters were also discussed, and a Chinese statement said Beijing was willing to cooperate with Riyadh on new energy, e-commerce, law enforcement and archaeological projects.

China meeting Gulf, Iran, Turkey foreign ministers in quick order