Uranium trap

Deal with Turkey and Brazil will not save Iran from sanctions

Yesterday evening—early this morning, Moscow time—an agreed draft of a new resolution on Iran was supposed to be submitted to the UN Security Council for consideration. And as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned before this, the document will be very tough. “We have agreed on a tough draft resolution on Iran in cooperation with Russia and China,” said the head of American diplomacy, emphasizing that the PRC and Russia act “together with the United States.” “Russia shares our concerns, as President Medvedev stated yesterday,” Mrs. Clinton said. According to her, Washington will work at the UN together with partners to develop the strongest possible resolution regarding Iran.

This news was announced during Hillary Clinton's speech at the Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate at a hearing on the new Russian-American Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START ). Obviously, the Secretary of State sought to create a favorable impression among legislators about the development of relations with Russia under the current US administration. Mrs. Clinton emphasized that the disarmament treaty "has already advanced our efforts to reset the US-Russian relationship at all levels, including Iran's nuclear program."

The emergence of an agreed draft resolution on Iran, supported by Russia, cuts the ground from under the feet of those American politicians who pointed to Russian-Iranian cooperation as an obstacle to rapprochement between Washington and Moscow. Mrs. Clinton expressed confidence that the START treaty would be ratified: “We have a choice between this treaty and no treaty.” She believes that while the treaty "fails to force Iran and North Korea to change their behavior, its achievement tells the world about the mutual desire of the United States and Russia to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons."

The agreement on a new draft resolution on the Iranian nuclear issue became known a day after an agreement was signed in Tehran between Iran, Turkey and Brazil on the exchange of low-enriched uranium for highly enriched uranium. It seemed that this agreement removed one of the world community's serious complaints about the Iranian nuclear program. However, the permanent members of the Security Council reacted with restraint to the tripartite agreement. The West still suspects Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons and is ready to punish it with sanctions.

The day before in Kyiv, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev noted that the proposal from Brazil and Turkey involves not only the exchange of uranium, but also the recognition of Iran’s right to independently enrich uranium under the control of the international community. And in this case, “naturally, the concerns that the international community had may remain.”

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called the Tehran agreement "vague." In the United States, he noted, so far they only hear Iranian declarations, but expect Tehran to “demonstrate a desire to comply with international obligations.” If this does not happen, Iran will have to "face consequences, including sanctions." He stressed that the tripartite agreement must be communicated “in a clear and formal manner” to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “before it can be assessed by the international community.” Robert Gibbs explained that the removal of Iranian low-enriched uranium outside the country “can be called a positive step,” but Iran’s statements after the signing of the agreement to continue 20 percent enrichment of uranium are “a direct violation of the UN Security Council resolution.”

The Brazil-Iran-Turkey agreement provides for the exchange of Iranian low-enriched (up to 3.5%) uranium for highly enriched (up to 20%) fuel for a research reactor. As part of the agreement, Iran is ready to send 1.2 tons of low-enriched uranium to Turkey in order to receive 120 kilograms of nuclear fuel in return. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who signed the agreement, yesterday confirmed his proposal to stop discussing the draft sanctions against Iran, as it “heats up the atmosphere” - they say, Tehran “left no doubt about its sincere position.” His Brazilian colleague Celso Amorim, regarding the Iranian statement about the continuation of uranium enrichment work, noted that it is intended for domestic consumption by “Iranian radical circles” and should not discourage the world community.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, known as an outspoken critic of Iran's nuclear program, called the signing of the tripartite agreement a "positive step." He said it was necessary to wait for details in writing from Tehran. According to him, France is “ready for discussion without prejudice.” Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi stressed that Beijing “supports the agreement and considers it important.”

In Israel, the trilateral nuclear deal did not initially generate optimism. Prime Minister of the Jewish State Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations on this matter yesterday with his advisers and security ministers. The Israelis feared that the deal would ease international pressure on Tehran, while Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had repeatedly threatened to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. “Israel will continue to insist on introducing tough sanctions against Iran, since this is in fact the only peaceful way to stop this country from creating nuclear weapons,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office told Vremya Novostei.

The Israeli press was wary of the fact that Türkiye was a party to the agreement with Iran. Relations with it deteriorated noticeably after the military operation of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip in the winter of 2008-2009 - then Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sharply criticized the actions of Israeli troops. The Haaretz newspaper recalled Turkey's ties with the radical Palestinian movement Hamas and concluded that the exchange of uranium on Turkish territory is not the safest solution to the issue for Israel. However, Israeli Minister of Industry and Trade Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, in a conversation with journalists, suggested not to dramatize the situation and assured that Israel’s decision would be adequate to the response to the agreement from the world community.

Maria GRISHINA, Jerusalem, Boris KAIMAKOV, Ivan SOLOVIEV