【Text/Observer Network Li Zexi】
On July 17, local time, in an interview with Qatar's Al Jazeera Radio, Kamal Kharazi, iran's former foreign minister and now chairman of the Foreign Relations Strategy Committee, claimed that Iran has the ability to build a nuclear bomb, but has not yet made a decision on whether to actually build nuclear weapons. Harazi's remarks coincided with the day after US President Joe Biden concluded his trip to the Middle East.
Screenshot of Al Jazeera interview with Haraki
"We were able to increase the concentration of uranium to 60 percent in a matter of days, and then we could easily produce 90 percent of the enriched uranium, and 'although' Iran has the technical means to produce a nuclear bomb, Iran has not decided to build a nuclear bomb," Harachi said. He also said that Israel is in a period of relatively weak strength, and even if Biden "backs up", it will not change this situation.
Publicly "fighting with Biden"
Harachi said in an interview on the 17th that Iran has conducted an extensive "counterattack against Israel's hinterland" exercise, if the territorial powers allow Israel to use or attack Iran through its territory, then they and Israel will suffer "double the counterattack".
He also countered accusations from the West and Israel: "Washington's blindness to decades of deceitful behavior by the Israeli regime as a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the owner of the largest nuclear arsenal in the region is an important sign of the hypocrisy of the U.S. government." Needless to say, the United States Government is the main driver of the continued occupation of Palestinian land and Jerusalem, the daily crimes committed against the Palestinians, the apartheid and systematic violations of human rights against oppressed and resisted Palestinian peoples. ”
At the Jeddah "Security and Development" Summit on the 16th, Biden said that Iran's activities are undermining regional stability and the United States will never allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. He said the United States and its allies are determined to deal with regional terrorist threats, and the United States has pledged to strengthen the air defense and early warning capabilities of regional allies to deal with air threats.
Biden Jeddah "Security and Development" Summit Photo courtesy of the Saudi News Agency
On the 17th, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani criticized Biden's visit as "once again trying to take advantage of the failed anti-Iraq policy to bring tension and crisis to the entire region." He also called Biden's Iraq-related statements over the past few days, particularly at the Security and Development Summit in Jeddah, "groundless" and called them aimed at "sedition and regional tensions."
Kanani said that Iran has no intention of building nuclear weapons, but only hopes to carry out peaceful nuclear technology research within the framework allowed by relevant international laws. He also stressed the importance of resolving the disputes through negotiations and lifting sanctions.
Hours after Harazi's remarks were made public, The Times of Israel said Israel would prepare for every eventuality, including the "most critical" part of the military strike, according to the Times of Israel.
"Ready to restore normal relations with Saudi Arabia"
In July 2015, Iran reached a nuclear deal with the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany. Under the agreement, Iran promised to limit its nuclear program and the international community lifted sanctions against Iran. In May 2018, the US government unilaterally withdrew from the Iranian nuclear agreement, and then restarted and added a series of sanctions against Iran, which was also the beginning of the stalemate of the Iranian nuclear agreement.
Since April last year, the parties to the JCPOA have held eight rounds of negotiations in Vienna, Austria. The negotiations once progressed to the point where it was considered that there was only one foot left to reach an agreement, but it eventually reached an impasse in March this year due to the excessive differences between the United States and Iran.
The latest round of talks between the United States and Iran, held in Qatar at the end of June, failed to reach a breakthrough. Since then, the United States announced a new round of sanctions against Iran's petrochemical industry on the 6th of this month, and Iran announced on the 16th that it would impose sanctions on those who support the Iranian opposition in the United States. On the eve of Biden's visit to the Middle East, Iran once again announced that it was producing 20% enriched uranium. The previous upper limit of concentration set by the Iranian nuclear agreement was 3.67%.
The backlash of the United States has made Iran suspicious of the sincerity of the United States and increased the obstacle to reaching an agreement. Harazi said in an interview on the 17th that without the relevant assurances of the United States to retain the Iranian nuclear agreement, any agreement will fall into a dilemma. He also stressed that Iran would not negotiate with anyone on "its missile program and regional policy" because it would mean surrender.
Iran Missile Infographic
Notably, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal said at the Security and Development Summit in Jeddah that Saudi Arabia was "eager to find a path to normal relations with neighboring Iran."
Harazir welcomed this, saying that "Tehran is ready to engage in dialogue with Riyadh and restore normal relations with Riyadh". He pointed out that Iran and Saudi Arabia are important countries in the region, and resolving differences will bring about regional transformation. For the "allies" of the Shiite and Sunni states in the Middle East, this is a rare positive interaction between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
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