The United States is discussing with its allies a set of new sanctions against Iran, but keeps the door open if Tehran bows to international demands to roll up its uranium enrichment effort.
Washington is treading carefully in a measure due to the Russian and Chinese rejection of fresh economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic. All signs are that the Americans and their partners may be looking for ways to turn up the heat on Tehran acting outside the P5 plus Germany format. This may include financial levers and support for the Iranian opposition. The West can cut off foreign financing for the Iranians' oil sector, transport and insurance companies. As to lending a hand to the Iranian opposition parties, the Western nations will hardly venture any direct support here. Instead they may use them to undermine organizations participating in the government's crackdown on opposition protests in Tehran. Namely the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and affiliated business structures, such as Iran's biggest telecommunications and aluminum companies. This idea is conditionally endorsed by certain circles in the Arab world, but rejected by Russia.
"In Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that even though the situation is rather complicated, also because of the existing political tensions inside Iran, the UN Security Council should discuss additional measures but Russia hopes that everyone will only be guided by the need to cement the nuclear nonproliferation regime and nothing more than that".
This means that Iranians have every right to develop peaceful nuclear energy, provided that they agree to ship their low-grade uranium abroad for further enrichment. Sergei Lavrov again:
"It's a pity the Iranians are taking their time to accept this formula for enriched fuel for their research reactor in Tehran, but we believe in additional effort to have the matter settled".
According the IAEA-proposed deal, Iran was to export some of its low-enriched uranium for processing in Russia and France. Tehran all but agreed to that but then insisted that it first be supplied with enriched uranium before it makes its own fuel available for reprocessing abroad - exactly the opposite to what the West is holding out for. Tehran apparently fears they are going to leave it without any nuclear fuel at all, while the Americans and their allies keep accusing it of developing nuclear weapons under the guise of peaceful nuclear energy.
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