Archiv: Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) / international nuclear treaty + blueprint for non-proliferation / breach by Trump government 08-05-2018 / Biden government continues sabotage


13.01.2025 - 12:30 [ Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists ]

What a second Trump administration may mean for the Saudi nuclear program

(January 6, 2ß25)

Riyadh has been very clear on the kind of nuclear partnership it expects, and it is no secret that its favored option is cooperation with South Korea, similar under a 123 agreement (a nuclear cooperation document that establishes the legal basis and prerequisites for nuclear deals with the United States) allowing it to enrich uranium domestically. The problem, however, lies in the last bit of the sentence. The United States currently insists on an agreement that requires the Saudis forgo enrichment and reprocessing capabilities—two pathways to building a bomb. The reelection of Trump might be the Saudis’ chance to tip the balance in their favor.

13.01.2025 - 11:49 [ Antiwar.com ]

CIA Director Reiterates There’s No Evidence Iran Has Decided To Build a Nuclear Bomb

(January 12, 2025)

The hype about Iran’s nuclear program is focused on the enrichment of some uranium at 60% purity, which is still below the 90% needed for weapons-grade. Iran took the step to enrich at 60% in response to an Israeli covert attack on its Natanz nuclear facility in 2021.

Iran is also a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, unlike Israel, which never signed the NPT and has a covert nuclear stockpile that’s not officially acknowledged by the US.

13.01.2025 - 11:47 [ NPR.org ]

Transcript: NPR‘s full conversation with CIA Director William Burns

(January 10, 2025)

Kelly: Iran, which had a pretty lousy 2024, weakened internally, mounting pressures externally. We interviewed Jake Sullivan, the national security, the national security adviser at the White House the other day. He told me the big question on his mind is, given the losses Iran has sustained, will it make it more likely, more likely that Iran tries to go for a nuclear weapon? Director Burns, will it?

Burns: It‘s something we watch very intently, because you‘re right, Iran has it‘s strategic position has suffered considerably over the course of the last six or seven months. You know, two failed efforts to launch significant ballistic missile strikes against Israel, the collapse of its leading proxy, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the severe degradation of Hamas in Gaza, and then the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. All of that, I think, strategically puts the Iranian regime in a much weaker position. And so Jake Sullivan was right to express the concern that, you know, the Iranian regime could decide in the face of that weakness that it needs to restore its deterrence as it sees it and, you know, reverse the decision made at the end of 2003 to suspend their weaponization program. We do not see any sign today that any such decision has been made, but we obviously watch it intently.

28.12.2024 - 21:38 [ United Nations ]

UN urges parties to re-engage on Iran nuclear deal

(December 17, 2024)

Rosemary DiCarlo briefed the Security Council on developments surrounding the 2015 accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and implementation of Council resolution 2231 (2015) which endorsed it.

The JCPOA set out rigorous mechanisms for monitoring restrictions placed on Iran’s nuclear programme, while paving the way for lifting sanctions against the country.

It was signed between Iran and the Council’s five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – plus Germany and the European Union. The US withdrew in May 2018 under the Trump administration.

28.12.2024 - 20:02 [ Georgetown Security Studies Review ]

The Nuclear Kingdom: Assessing Saudi Arabia’s Nuclear Behavior

(December 17, 2024)

Saudi Arabia has the characteristics of a nuclear hedger: a state that lays the groundwork for the active pursuit of nuclear weapons. Saudi Arabia has stated the conditions under which it would pursue nuclear weapons. It already possesses dual-capable delivery systems and seeks reactors to produce weapons-grade uranium. Its inability to enrich nuclear material alone prevents Saudi Arabia from gaining nuclear latency that it can rapidly convert into nuclear weapons. Saudi Arabia is best categorized as an insurance hedger that seeks to reduce the time needed to build a bomb. Regardless of the categorization of Saudi Arabia’s hedging, its interest in nuclear weapons has entered a new, acute stage.

21.12.2024 - 07:14 [ TKP.at ]

Gaza-Deal zwischen Saudis und Netanjahu?

„Als Gegenleistung für ihre Unterstützung und ihr Geld, so sagte mir der Israeli, würden die Vereinigten Staaten der saudischen Führung ein erweitertes Verteidigungsabkommen anbieten, das Saudi-Arabien in ihren nuklearen Schutzschirm einbeziehen würde – für den Fall, dass der Iran, Israels letzter verbliebener Feind, in den Besitz einer Atombombe gelangen sollte. “
(…)
„Der Israeli sagte mir, dass das saudische Paket einen zusätzlichen Anreiz enthält: Die Saudis würden wegschauen, wenn die Israelis Bombenangriffe durchführen, einschließlich der Bombardierung militärischer Ziele im zerrissenen Syrien, und würden Israel Zugang zu einem Flugplatz innerhalb der saudischen Grenzen gewähren. Auf diese Weise könnten israelische Bomben, die zumeist von den Vereinigten Staaten geliefert werden, innerhalb von Minuten, nicht Stunden, auf wichtige iranische Ziele abgefeuert werden.“

21.12.2024 - 00:37 [ Seymour Hersh ]

THE NEW CEASEFIRE EQUATION: Saudi Arabia’s entry into talks between Israel and Hamas may change Gaza’s future

In return for its support and money, the Israeli told me, the Saudi leadership would be offered an expanded defense treaty by the United States that would include Saudi Arabia in its nuclear umbrella—its zone of protection—in case Iran, Israel’s last standing enemy, were to acquire a nuclear bomb.
(…)
There is an added inducement in the Saudi package, the Israeli told me: the Saudis would look the other way as the Israelis conduct bombing raids, including bombing of military targets inside fractured Syria, and would give Israel access to an airfield within Saudi borders. This would bring Israeli bombs, most supplied by the United States, within minutes, and not hours, of key Iranian targets.

11.12.2024 - 17:48 [ Council on Foreign Relations ]

Will Iran Become More Dangerous After Assad’s Ouster in Syria?

(December 8, 2024)

The Bashar al-Assad regime’s rapid collapse deals a heavy blow to Iran’s “axis of resistance” and its ability to project power in the region, and it raises fears Iran will focus more on developing its nuclear program.

29.11.2024 - 23:14 [ theCradle.co ]

KSA abandons US defense pact over Palestinian statehood ‚stalemate‘: Report

As a result of the Saudi and Israeli positions, “Riyadh and Washington hope a more modest defense pact could be sealed before President Joe Biden leaves the White House in January,” according to the Saudi and western sources.

29.11.2024 - 23:11 [ Reuters ]

Saudi Arabia abandons pursuit of US defence treaty over Israel stalemate

In a drive to get a wide-ranging mutual security treaty over the line earlier this year, Riyadh softened its position on Palestinian statehood, telling Washington that a public commitment from Israel to a two-state solution could be enough for the Gulf kingdom to normalise relations.

But with public anger in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East at fever pitch over Israel‘s military actions in Gaza, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has again made recognition of Israel conditional on it taking concrete steps to create a Palestinian state, two Saudi and three Western sources said.

15.11.2024 - 18:00 [ AtlanticCouncil.org ]

JCPOA: A New Gold Standard for Non-Proliferation Agreements

(June 7, 2017)

The established pattern of constraints on Iran’s nuclear program could be held as the gold standard for the rest of the international community. This option is readily available to the United States and the partners with which it negotiated the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA): China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the European Union. The international community should draw on that agreement and turn its standards into general, global ones, applying them to all countries seeking to enrich uranium or attempting to use plutonium for any purpose.

15.11.2024 - 17:55 [ ]

IAEA chief tours two key Iranian nuclear facilities

In 2015, Iran proved the peaceful nature of its nuclear program to the world by signing the multilateral nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — with six world powers.

However, Washington’s unilateral withdrawal in 2018 and its subsequent re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran left the future of the deal in limbo.

In 2019, Iran started to roll back the limits it had accepted under the JCPOA after the other parties failed to live up to their commitments.

15.11.2024 - 17:45 [ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ]

Joint Statement by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

(March 3, 2023)

The AEOI and the IAEA agreed on the following:

– Interactions between the IAEA and Iran will be carried out in a spirit of collaboration, and in full conformity with the competences of the IAEA and the rights and obligations of the Islamic Republic of Iran, based on the comprehensive safeguards agreement.

– Regarding the outstanding safeguards issues related to the three locations, Iran expressed its readiness to continue its cooperation and provide further information and access to address the outstanding safeguards issues.

– Iran, on a voluntary basis will allow the IAEA to implement further appropriate verification and monitoring activities. Modalities will be agreed between the two sides in the course of a technical meeting which will take place soon in Tehran.

29.10.2024 - 23:10 [ Umair Malik / Twitter ]

this is the biggest blunder in American history. Mark my words

(December 9, 2023)

25.10.2024 - 12:12 [ USA Today ]

North Korean troops in Russia, US defense secretary says

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday that there is evidence North Korean troops are in Russia, branding their presence a „very serious“ escalation in the war that started with Russia‘s unprovoked invasion in 2022 and has left tens of thousands dead.

10.10.2024 - 06:08 [ Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists ]

The coming US-Saudi nuclear deal: Keep it honest

(January 5, 2024)

In 1988, the Central Intelligence Agency did discover that Riyadh bought SS-2 medium-range missiles from China but only after the deal was sealed. In 2003, when China exported DF-21 ballistic missiles to the Kingdom, the CIA again found out and was even allowed to verify the missiles were not nuclear-capable, but only after the missiles were delivered.

Several years later, when intelligence finally leaked out that China secretly built missile factories for the Saudis, the Trump administration was mum on whether there was an intelligence failure and allowed speculation that it had blessed the transaction. Then, in 2020, when US intelligence confirmed China was helping the Kingdom mill uranium domestically, it did so, again only after the mining and milling were well underway.

This track record of studied inadvertence, then, brings us to the next worry: MBS wants Washington to green-light the Kingdom enriching uranium…

10.10.2024 - 05:12 [ Institute for National Security Studies - INSS.org.il ]

Normalization for Proliferation? The Saudi Nuclear Strategy and the Price of Peace with Israel

(March 19, 2023)

In general, the Saudis wish to present themselves as Iran’s equals, and if Iran can enrich uranium, say the Saudis, then so can we. In addition, the Saudis want to keep all their nuclear options open, even if they are not intending to work on the development of nuclear weapons immediately.

10.10.2024 - 04:33 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Saudi nuclear program can be secretly managed – top Israeli sources

(September 14, 2023)

Top Israeli sources have told the Jerusalem Post that there are secret technological ways to ensure that the Saudis do not misuse civilian nuclear items, which the US may give them as part of a three-way normalization deal, for military purposes.

Although there are no guarantees, because the issue is highly technical and there are issues to address regarding the Palestinians and highly complex politics, these technological fixes could be key to locking in a normalization deal between Riyadh and Jerusalem, under Washington’s auspices.

10.10.2024 - 03:10 [ Reuters ]

U.S. approved secret nuclear power work for Saudi Arabia

(March 27, 2019)

Many U.S. lawmakers are concerned that sharing nuclear technology with Saudi Arabia could eventually lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. (…)

Last month, Democratic House members alleged in a report that top White House aides ignored warnings they could be breaking the law as they worked with former U.S. officials in a group called IP3 International to advance a multibillion-dollar plan to build nuclear reactors in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia.

10.10.2024 - 02:51 [ CommonDreams.org ]

Senators Express Concerns Over Reports That Saudis Want US Support for Nuclear Program

(Oct 04, 2023)

Amid reports that Saudi Arabia is seeking United States support for its nuclear energy program—whose capacities critics fear could be utilized to develop nuclear weapons—a group of 20 U.S. senators on Wednesday urged President Joe Biden to „seriously consider“ whether such a move is in the national interest as the administration brokers a possible normalization deal between the kingdom and Israel.

10.10.2024 - 01:30 [ JNS.org ]

US senators press Saudi Arabia for peace deal with Israel by end of year

“We are here at a historic time … and now it is an historic moment of opportunity,” Blumenthal stated. “It really is a magnificent potential achievement with enduring effect to match the successes of the battlefield with diplomatic successes.

10.10.2024 - 01:20 [ Reuters ]

In Jerusalem, US Senator Graham urges Israel-Saudi normalisation before year end

(October 8, 2024)

„We can get you a treaty through the Senate between the United States and Saudi Arabia, a defense agreement like you have in Japan and Australia, if you do it on President Biden‘s watch,“ Graham, who is seen as close to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, told reporters in Jerusalem.

„The next president will have a very difficult time getting 67 votes,“ he said in reference to the two-thirds majority needed in the U.S. Senate for approving a defense treaty.

10.10.2024 - 00:12 [ JNS.org ]

US ‘highly vigilant’ of future Iranian attacks on Israel, Sullivan says at Oct. 7 memorial

“The challenge going forward is to turn tactical wins in battle into a strategy that secures Israel’s people and its future,” Sullivan said. “That takes real discipline. It takes courage. It takes foresight to match the conduct of war to a clear and sustainable set of objectives and to turn tactical advantage into enduring strategic gains.”

08.10.2024 - 22:34 [ Abandon Harris ]

To Stop Genocide, We need Volunteers!

There are many areas to volunteer, and we encourage you to join. But we want to make sure that you are volunteering in an area for which you may be able to devote time. Please indicate what are the areas that you could volunteer.

08.10.2024 - 22:04 [ Abandon Harris ]

Abandon Harris – Ceasefire Now

Harris pursues a policy of death in Gaza, and she expects we will vote for her.

We need to work hard to make sure that she will not be elected to the presidency. Not only will this punish Harris, but it will also send a signal to all politicians that you won’t be rewarded with our votes when you engage in genocide. This movement will transform American politics and bring civil rights into US foreign policy.

08.10.2024 - 22:00 [ Al Jazeera ]

Kamala Harris says Iran is ‘greatest adversary’ of US

In an interview with the CBS television network aired on Monday night, the Democratic presidential candidate said Iran is the “obvious” answer when asked about the country she considers to be the US’s “greatest adversary”.

“Iran has American blood on their hands – this attack on Israel, 200 ballistic missiles,” she said. “What we need to do [is] to ensure that Iran never achieves the ability to be a nuclear power. That is one of my highest priorities.”

06.10.2024 - 00:00 [ Le Monde ]

Macron urges halt to arms deliveries to Israel for use in Gaza

Macron reiterated his concern over the conflict in Gaza that is continuing despite repeated calls for a ceasefire. „I think we are not being heard,“ he said. „I think it is a mistake, including for the security of Israel,“ he said, adding that the conflict was leading to „hatred.“ Macron also said avoiding an escalation in Lebanon was a „priority.“ „Lebanon cannot become a new Gaza,“ he added.

05.10.2024 - 18:41 [ Newsweek ]

Iran Braces for Israeli Attack That Could Change the Middle East Forever

(October 3, 2024)

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran‘s longtime supreme leader, has for decades officially banned the production of nuclear weapons. But Israel, which possesses its own semisecret nuclear arsenal, has long accused the country of also clandestinely pursuing weapons of mass destruction.

05.10.2024 - 05:42 [ Times of India ]

Trump says Israel should ‚hit Iran‘s nuclear facilities first‘ days after Biden urges restraint

„Isn‘t that what you‘re supposed to hit? I mean, it‘s the biggest risk we have, nuclear weapons,“ he said.

„When they asked him that question, the answer should have been, hit the nuclear first, and worry about the rest later,“ Trump added.

05.10.2024 - 05:27 [ CNN ]

Israel has given no assurances it won’t target Iran’s nuclear facilities, top State Department official tells CNN

The official added that it is “really hard to tell” if Israel will use the anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attacks to retaliate.

“We hope and expect to see some wisdom as well as strength, but as you guys know, no guarantees,” the official said when asked by CNN if Israel has assured the US that Iran’s nuclear sites are off the table.

03.10.2024 - 23:00 [ Washngton Post ]

How Joe Biden lost his grip on Israel’s war for ‘total victory’ in Gaza

The Israeli response was yet another example of what Austin privately characterized as Netanyahu’s government “playing with house money”: taking big shots at its adversaries, knowing that the United States, as Israel’s chief ally, would throw its military and diplomatic weight behind it.

Some speculated that Biden’s new lame-duck status had further emboldened Netanyahu, who thought a possible Trump return to the White House would mean more U.S. support for Israel and less complaining. Just days before the attacks on Shukr and Haniyeh, after giving a table-thumping speech to Congress, Netanyahu had visited the former president and newly crowned Republican presidential nominee at his Florida residence.

03.10.2024 - 00:10 [ Antiwar.com ]

Israel Planning Major Attack on Iran

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that the US would work with Israel to ensure Iran faces “severe consequences.” President Biden has also said he is working with Israel on a response but said Wednesday that he wouldn’t support strikes on Iran’s nuclear facility.

“All seven of us agree that they have a right to respond, but they have to respond proportionally,” he said, referring to the Group of Seven nations.

02.10.2024 - 23:10 [ India Today ]

Biden opposes Israeli strikes on Iran‘s nuclear sites, urges proportional respons

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he does not support strikes on Iran‘s nuclear sites in response to its missile attack against Israel.

„We‘ll be discussing with the Israelis what they‘re going to do, but all seven of us (G7 nations) agree that they have a right to respond but they should respond proportionally,“ Biden told reporters before boarding Air Force One.

02.10.2024 - 15:30 [ Tehran Times ]

U.S., Europe are root cause of regional conflicts: Leader

(today)

„The only way to end the conflicts and wars in the region is to reduce the harmful influence of these countries,“ he added.

Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated that the presence of the U.S. and certain European countries is the primary cause of conflicts and wars in the region. „These countries falsely speak of peace, but if their harmful influence is diminished, the region will see the end of its conflicts. The nations here are capable of managing their own affairs and coexisting in peace.“

Khamenei concluded, „We hope, with God‘s grace and the determination of the Iranian nation, to work with other nations and reduce the influence of our enemies in this region.“

02.10.2024 - 15:20 [ Middle East Eye ]

Iranian president says western leaders‘ promises on Gaza ceasefire are lies

(September 29, 2024)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that the assurances given by American and European leaders to establish a ceasefire in return for Iran‘s non-response to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the Hamas, were outright lies, according to a report by the Associated Press.

02.10.2024 - 15:10 [ Reuters ]

Iran‘s Pezeshkian says Tehran ready to work with world powers to resolve nuclear standoff

(September 25, 2024)

Iran is ready to end its nuclear standoff with the West, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, while calling for an end to Russia‘s war in Ukraine through dialogue.

02.10.2024 - 15:05 [ United Nations ]

Gaza crisis reveals ‘true nature’ of Israeli regime, Iranian President says

(September 24, 2024)

Recalling the “historic” 2015 nuclear deal, he noted that Iran, under the Joint Comprehensive Programme of Action (JCPOA), had agreed to the highest level of nuclear oversight in return for the recognition of its rights and the lifting of sanctions.

However, former US President Donald Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA represented a “threat-ridden approach” to politics, Mr. Pezeshkian added, stressing that unilateral sanctions targeted innocent people and weakened the Iranian economy.

“We are ready to engage with JCPOA participants. If JCPOA commitments are implemented fully and in good faith, dialogue on other issues can follow,” he said.

“We have the opportunity to transcend limitations and enter a new era, commencing with the acknowledgment of Iran‘s security concerns and cooperation on mutual challenges,” he said.

Reiterating the destructive impact of sanctions, he emphasized that Iran is ready to foster meaningful economic, social, political and security partnerships with its neighbours and global partners, “based on equal footing.”

02.10.2024 - 15:00 [ New York Times ]

Actually, We Absolutely Do Need to Escalate in Iran

…a theological explanation for why Israel had come into existence..
…“The Jews will gather from all parts of the world…
…the Antichrist and the end of the world but rather that Allah… final and decisive battle,,,“
…for killing all Jews…
…What if one of those missiles had been tipped with a nuclear warhead…
…Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Iran was within a week or two of being able to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a nuclear bomb…

02.10.2024 - 03:44 [ Ynetnews.com ]

Netanyahu in 1993: Iran will have bomb by 1999

(04.03.2015)

The prime minister has been warning for over 20 years that Tehran is close to achieving its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

02.10.2024 - 03:34 [ CNN ]

Fmr. Defense Secy: Israel will conceivably target Iran‘s nuclear facilities

Fmr. Defense Secy William Cohen joins The Lead

02.10.2024 - 03:10 [ New York Tmes ]

Israel weighs a counterattack after the Iranian missile barrage.

But after Iran fired about 180 missiles in an attack that went on for roughly half an hour, Israel’s challenge was not whether to attack Iran, but how powerfully to respond, said Yaakov Amidror, a retired major general who served as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser.

The only question, General Amidror said, was “how much can we harm them versus their capacity to harm us.” He added he believed that the damage Israel inflicted on Hezbollah had diminished the threat of Iran’s proxies.

Even an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities — long a source of fear for Israel, which worries about Tehran gaining a nuclear weapon — “should be considered,” General Amidror added.

18.09.2024 - 16:16 [ Umair Malik / Twitter ]

this is the biggest blunder in American history. Mark my words

(December 9, 2023)

28.08.2024 - 14:15 [ Middle East Monitor ]

Iran: Khamenei greenlights talks with US but urges caution

(today)

In 2015, Iran signed an agreement with the P5+1 group – the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France) plus Germany – to regulate and monitor Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for lifting sanctions.

However, in 2018, under former President Donald Trump, Washington unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and began reimposing “unprecedented sanctions” on Iran. In response, Tehran gradually suspended its commitments under the deal and took several steps, including resuming high-level uranium enrichment.

21.04.2024 - 16:24 [ Netzwerk Friedenskooperative ]

Appell unterzeichnen: EU-Atombombe? Nicht mit uns!

Die aktuelle Diskussion um eine europäische oder sogar deutsche Atombombe ist erschreckend und brandgefährlich. Wir erteilen diesen Gedankenspielen eine klare Absage und fordern aus folgenden Gründen die leichtsinnig geführte und überflüssige Debatte sofort zu beenden:

Der Nichtverbreitungsvertrag (NVV) als auch der Zwei-plus-Vier Vertrag verbieten es Deutschland eigene Atomwaffen zu besitzen. Der NVV, den alle EU-Staaten unterzeichnet haben, macht auch eine EU-Atombombe unmöglich. Die Forderung nach einer EU- oder deutschen Bombe unterläuft das Völkerrecht und die internationale Ordnung.