It looks as though Russia may be becoming isolated over it’s position on Iran’s nuclear ambitions. An anonymous (it’s a pre-requisite for employment in Brussels these days) EU official told the Guardian:
“The Chinese are very, very constructive and on board with the US-European position,” one official said.
At the same time, though, Russia seems to be taking a slightly more pro-active role (perhaps because of China’s shift of position?) and has announced a new plan which it hopes will break the deadlock.
EU diplomats said discussions would focus on a Russian proposal that Iran transfer to Russia its uranium enrichment — a process that can be used to make weapons-grade nuclear fuel.
“The meeting will be to discuss the Russian initiative and to define conditions for the resumption of negotiations between the two sides,” one diplomat said.
A key stumbling block to the resumption of negotiations with the EU has been Tehran’s refusal to mothball the Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility, which produces a gas that, when enriched, can be used to make atomic reactor or weapons-grade fuel.
Under the Russian proposal, Iran would be allowed to continue to convert uranium ore at Isfahan provided it then shipped it to Russia for enrichment.
I’d imagine the EU negotiators will look seriously at Russia’s suggestion, as it does seem to offer a better route out of the impasse than any previous plans. I’m not sure what the US government will think, though. Not much, I’d imagine, as they seem to believe that an all or nothing approach is the only one that will pay dividends.
Whether this plan provides a solution or not, I’m pleased to see Russia becoming more constructively involved. Let’s face it, Russia and Iran have very close nuclear links and, without Russian support, any plan to convince Iran to abandon it’s nuclear ambitions will fail.
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