Ukraine tensions could affect Iran nuclear talks
VIENNA, AUSTRIA — Tehran may have a new ally when Iran nuclear talks reconvene Tuesday — the crisis in Ukraine.
U.S.-Russia tensions over Ukraine could affect the search for consensus on what Iran needs to do to ease fears it could make atomic arms.
Both Washington and Moscow say their commitment to eliminating any Iranian proliferation threat overrides their clash over Ukraine.
But diplomats say Moscow and Washington are wide apart on how much Tehran needs to trim its nuclear program, a split that Iran could exploit.
Ahead of the resumption of the Vienna talks, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said she expects Russia to “remain an active partner” in the attempt to persuade Tehran to agree to longterm nuclear curbs in exchange for full sanctions relief.
A senior Russian diplomat said his country would work “actively” to reach a deal. He demanded anonymity because he did not have permission from Moscow to comment.
But former U.S. nuclear negotiator Gary Samore says any superpower tensions will make Tehran feel “under much less pressure to make concessions.”
That could affect what the U.S. sees as a central goal: reducing the number of Iranian centrifuges set up at uranium enrichment sites.
Iran says its enrichment program is meant to make only lower-enriched fuel for reactors, scientific research or for medical treatments. But because enrichment to very high levels creates weapons-grade uranium that can be used in nuclear warheads, Washington wants Tehran to scale back to no more than a few thousand centrifuges from its current 20,000.
Russia’s demands are far less strict. Two diplomats said Moscow was open to Iran keeping many more of the machines — perhaps even the status quo of 20,000 — with further negotiations on how many would be allowed to operate. Moscow’s condition would be that Iran ratify an agreement with the UN nuclear agency that would give agency experts inspection powers to make sure Tehran’s nuclear program is peaceful, they said.
China usually supports Russia’s position at the negotiations, but Moscow’s stance is rejected by the United States, Britain, France and Germany.
Moscow and Washington have been able to bridge previous differences over Iran. And former State Department official Mark Fitzpatrick said that even during the Cold War, the two nations co-operated “despite many periods of intense distrust.”
Fitzpatrick, who is now with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, lists Russian-American teamwork on bringing about the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, as well as concluding several arms control agreements as examples of how common interests can override even the worst tensions.
Still, he says Moscow could put its own agenda — including building nuclear reactors for Iran — above co-operation. Russia, he says, always “marches to its own drum.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said last week his country and Russia had common interests and that Tehran was banking on “Moscow’s help to reach the final agreement.”