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Switzerland: Iran nuclear talks just #39;metres away #39; from reaching deal - French FM Fabius
The P5+1 group of international mediators and Iran are close to reaching an agreement on Tehran #39;s nuclear programme, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius stated in Lausanne, Wednesday, after...

By: RuptlyTV

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Switzerland: Iran nuclear talks just 'metres away' from reaching deal - French FM Fabius - Video

Washington Americans are in favor of reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran. Thats the bottom line from a new Washington Post/ABC News poll, which found that 59 percent of respondents support a diplomatic deal loosening Iranian sanctions in return for restrictions on Tehrans nuclear program.

But the US public is actually not hopeful that such a deal will work as intended. By the same 59 percent margin, poll respondents said they are not confident that a diplomatic pact will keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

If nothing else, this split opinion points out the lack of trust that exists between the US and the Iranian revolutionary regime and the need for extensive international inspections of Irans nuclear activities to try and rebuild that trust. From the point of view of Washington and its negotiation partners, verification provisions will be a crucial component of any final agreement.

Because of its extensive history of cheating and making inconsistent statements [on nuclear issues], Iran is going to have to accept additional verification arrangements, says David Albright, a former International Atomic Energy Agency inspector and president of the Institute for Science and International Security.

US officials said ongoing talks between six powers and Iran could stretch into Wednesday morning, if need be.

The IAEA wants the ability to conduct very-short-notice inspections at virtually any suspect site in Iran, for instance. Right now it is generally limited to visits to declared nuclear facilities.

Yet some of those now-declared facilities were constructed, or at least begun, in secret. In 2002, an Iranian dissident group revealed to the world the presence of Irans Natanz uranium enrichment plant and Arak heavy water reactor.

Iran claims that its safeguard agreement with the IAEA did not require it to disclose those plants until they were finished. But to the US and its allies, that was an excuse made by a potential nuclear proliferator whod been caught red-handed.

Iran insists that its nuclear activities are peaceful. It says it has a right to develop uranium enrichment technology for energy purposes under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which it signed.

US intelligence has a different view, or at least has said something else in public. The consensus among American intelligence agencies is that Iran had a nuclear weapons program until 2003, when it put that effort on hold for various reasons.

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Iran nuclear talks: Could US be sure Iran will honor a ...

Sure, U.S. and international sanctions have inflicted staggering damage on Iran's economy, convincing the longtime American foe to join talks aimed at limiting its nuclear program. The negotiations faced a Tuesday deadline for a framework deal, but world powers announced late in the day that the discussions would continue into Wednesday.

But it's not just Iran's nuclear aspirations that have everyone's attention -- though just the fact that Iranian officials are at the table with the world's most powerful countries has elevated Iran's international status.

Getting the bomb would greatly magnify its regional -- even global -- role, but Tehran is also making big moves in a tumultuous Great Game of Middle East geopolitics that is challenging U.S influence and prestige and chilling Washington's allies.

READ: Iran nuclear talks: 'Tricky issues' remain, Kerry says

As it engages on its nuclear program, Tehran has exploited the divisions of the Arab Spring and the power vacuum of America's downgraded involvement in the region. It has also taken advantage of the leeway the United States offered in prioritizing a nuclear deal over attempts to restrain Tehran's proxies that could risk breaking up the negotiations.

The result is that Iran -- often through militant groups it sponsors -- has become a key player in conflicts in neighboring states all the way to the edge of the Mediterranean.

Its drive for regional pre-eminence is becoming an increasing problem for the Obama administration as it contemplates selling a nuclear deal -- which is already drawing considerable skepticism -- to opponents in Congress and to anxious allies like Saudi Arabia and Israel, who are watching Iran's maneuvering up close.

Critics are accusing President Barack Obama of turning a blind eye toward Iran's nefarious motives and proxy wars in the Middle East to safeguard a legacy-enhancing push for a deal that could lift his presidency's historic potential after decades of hostility between Washington and Tehran.

They fear Iran is not only about to walk away with a deal that leaves its nuclear infrastructure intact, but that it is also playing the United States for a fool by using the talks to shield its hegemonic ambitions in the Middle East.

"They have completely schooled the American and European diplomats," said Michael Rubin, an Iran analyst and critic of the administration at the American Enterprise Institute.

Read more from the original source:
Iran's power rises, with or without nuclear deal

The checklist of attributes Iran possesses is impressive. It has the second largest population in the Middle East with 80 million, 9% of proven oil reserves, 18% of proven gas reserves and an abundance of strategic minerals.

"If you put together the consumer potential of Turkey, the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia, the natural gas reserves of Russia, and the mineral reserves of Australia you have it all in one country," said Ramin Rabii, CEO of Iranian investment firm Turquoise Partners, on a recent visit to the United Arab Emirates.

Related: Nuclear talks with Iran continue

Iranians have had to live with the pain of being largely shut out of the global economy for years. Layer after layer of sanctions have been applied, but the noose really tightened in 2012, when the European Union joined a U.S.-led effort to shut down oil trade.

Iran's top four customers of oil products -- China, India, Japan and South Korea -- fell into line with the global effort on sanctions, cutting back imports by a third or more in the past few years.

Related: Expect oil to tumble if Iran deal gets done

Deeper measures were implemented that included limiting access to shipping insurance, and blocking Iranian banks from the SWIFT global electronic payments system.

As a result, the economy shrank by 5 percent in 2013. Iran still has a double digit rate of unemployment. Inflation soared to more than 45 percent at one point when the Iranian currency was under pressure.

With GDP of about $366 billion, Iran's economy is about 20% smaller than it would have been without sanctions, according to a study by the U.S. Congressional Research Service. That gives it a world ranking of just 18.

Under the combative eight year rule of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, uncertainty prevailed. Just a few years ago, Iran was threatening to disrupt oil shipments off its coast.

Link:
Iran deal could unlock huge economic potential

Ministers from Iran, six powers meet to end impasse in nuclear talks
Representatives from Iran and six world powers arrive at a Lausanne hotel to continue nuclear talks. Rough Cut (no reporter narration). Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/reuterssubscribe More...

By: Reuters

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Ministers from Iran, six powers meet to end impasse in nuclear talks - Video