Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 20
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
An Iranian scholar who served as the head of UN General Assembly's Legal Committee believes that regional circumstances make the gaps between Iran and P5+1 even narrower than in the past.
Iranian former diplomat Davoud Hermidas Bavand told Trend Feb. 20 that current circumstances necessitate sides on the Iranian nuclear case to consider some levels of moderation in their approaches.
He said, "Iran has pretty much agreed not to enrich uranium beyond 5 percent. As for the centrifuges it has agreed to keep 5000 operational. And as for the Arak heavy water facility, it has agreed that the reactor must turn into light water."
He noted that although Iran has agreed to 5+1 conditions in principle, powerful Israeli lobbies in the US have disturbed the circumstances by refusing to allow Iran to operate the minimum 5000 centrifuges.
Russia's stance
Russia has adopted a balancing approach against the West on the Iranian nuclear issue, but it has always voted positively for IAEA Board of Governors as well as UN Security Council resolutions on Iran.
However, Bavand says that the Russia-West standoff on Ukraine has caused Russia to revise its policies on the Iranian nuclear issue.
He noted, "Russia has so far been following the West, but of course it had also taken advantage of the West."
"In the cases of installing missile shields in Poland, postponing some regional countries' entry into NATO, or the occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the West did not show any strong reaction, all of which show that Russia took advantage of the West."
The political analyst believes that now that Russia's relations with the West have grown cold, the country may be willing to revive some of its former contracts with Iran, including the one on S300 missile systems.
The necessity to focus on the nuclear program
Bavand further said that there are some resolutions and sanctions bills in the US Congress which could revoke a nuclear deal- resolutions which span an even wider range than the nuclear issue- including human rights and allegations on Iran's support for so-called terrorist groups. But in case these issues are included in the nuclear talks, the nuclear case will not be solved.
The political analyst said that what the West calls Iran's support for terrorist groups is the Islamic Republic's relations with groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah; whereas the appearance of the Nusrah Front and ISIL, which are far beyond the groups endorsed by Iran, have given a whole new aspect to the issue.
And Tehran tacitly cooperates with the US in its fight against ISIL and the Nusrah Front, he noted.
"So, groups backed by Iran are somehow driven to the background, although they can still provide enough alibi for Israel to pressure Iran. Yet, the negotiations' progress indicates that minds are set upon the Iranian nuclear program.
Single-stage deal
Based on a deal made in November 2014, it was agreed that Iran and the six world powers would reach a political understanding in March and a comprehensive nuclear agreement by the end of June.
But lately, Iranian Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that he endorses a single-stage deal.
Bavand believes that the US Congress's favorable regard is needed in order for some US sanctions to be removed, hence the US president Barack Obama inablity to revoke them single handedly.
On the other hand, to revoke the UN Security Council sanctions will also take some time, the university professor asserted.
The UN Security Council has so far posed four sanction and punishment resolutions against Iran, which cover a broad range, including Iran's missile program, investigating Iranian ships in free waters, etc.
Bavand believes that a general agreement must be made without stressing the details.
Edited by CN
