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An Opening for Arms Control with Iran? [1]

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Date: 2023-06-24  

While nuclear arsenals are increasing around the world due to the geopolitical tensions of Cold War II, there’s at least some hope on the arms control front.

That is if one looks at the possibilities of controlling Iran’s nuclear arsenal. Kelsey Davenport addressed his issue in his story “A New Opening for Nuclear Talks”: “recent comments from United States and Iranian officials suggest that the space for negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program may be opening back up after talks broke down in August, but the two sides denied recent reports that an interim nuclear deal is on the table.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani confirmed on June 9 that the United States and Iran held indirect talks in Oman in May. Kanaani told reporters that Iran conveyed messages to the United States regarding the lifting of sanctions. He also said Tehran remains focused on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and is not discussing interim arrangements.

Iran prefers to return to the JCPOA, but this also off the table for the United States given Iran’s nuclear advances and the tensions that exist between the US and Tehran. Some which come out of Iran’s support of Russia’s war in Ukraine. This summer, a Joe Biden Administration official made it clear that the US is interested in deescalating nuclear tensions with Iran. At the same time, the administration said certain actions from the rogue Islamic state could obstruct the cooling of tensions.

Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he remains open to a diplomatic solution on nuclear weapons and that the country’s Islamic principles prohibit the possession of such weapons. He also recommended that the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran cooperate and communicate with the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, Iran has dragged out an IAEA investigation into past nuclear activities that should have been declared to the agency and still has not provided technically credible answers for the presence of uranium at two of the four sites under investigation.

On a slightly better note, Iran’s nuclear stockpile grew over the last quarter, but the country did take limited steps to increase monitoring of its nuclear program, said Davenport. The IAEA reported that Iran provided a “possible explanation” for the presence of uranium at one of the four sites the agency is investigating as part of its probe into undeclared Iranian nuclear activities from the pre-2003 period. According to Davenport, the United States pointed out that Iran has not provided evidence to back up its claim regarding the origins of the uranium particles detected at the Marivan site.

Unfortunately, Iran showcased a new missile, which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh said was the country’s first indigenously built hypersonic ballistic missile. Hypersonic ballistic missiles travel at such high speeds and are nearly impossible to intercept. The Biden administration released new information detailing how Tehran is assisting Moscow with the construction of a new factory in Russia designed to produce attack drones, a violation of international law under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.

There’s much that obstructs our path to nuclear arms control with Iran which is connected to Iran being in the Russian orbit. Just look at the points covered in this story. In addition, hypersonic weapons are a dangerous weapon in any state’s arsenal. However, our country, and the international community, must take advantage of the openings we have to secure America and the world through new arms control treaties.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/24/2177418/-An-Opening-for-Arms-Control-with-Iran

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