It’s been a relatively long time since Iran’s nuclear program last made global headlines. The last case of meaningful diplomacy between Tehran and Washington was when the two sides successfully struck a deal to swap prisoners and release Iran’s assets frozen in South Korean bank accounts.
The deal was a sort of provisional détente aimed in part to keep the status quo and prevent an escalation. The surprising October 7 operation by the Palestinian resistance groups in the Gaza Strip and the ensuing atrocities by Israel seemed to have further shelved the already stagnant nuclear diplomacy.
Now, things are changing again, but not in the direction of solving issues, rather to manufacture a new nuclear crisis whose ramifications are expected to make the whole Gaza drama look like a trivial matter.
While nothing new has happened in Iran’s nuclear activities, there is a growing tendency pushed by Israel to mount diplomatic pressure on Iran ahead of the next meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors slated for March 6.
The Tehran Times has obtained information showing that Israel, along with the US, is pushing for a new nuclear crisis, this time accusing Iran of enriching uranium at 90 percent, a weapon’s grade purity level.
By leveling such dangerous accusations against Tehran, they seek to generate a hostile atmosphere with the ultimate goal of censuring Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting.
Israel has reached out to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in this regard but the CIA has cast doubt on Israel’s plans for the new nuclear crisis, according to the information viewed by the Tehran Times. The CIA has said that it is not taking part in Israel’s endeavors.
The CIA assessment fell on deaf ears in Tel Aviv, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally insisting on the new nuclear venture. He replied that he would press ahead with the planned crisis through hype and would persuade the CIA at some point in the future, the Tehran Times has learned.
Having been stuck in the Gaza quagmire, Netanyahu feels increasingly isolated domestically and internationally given his catastrophic war on Gaza. The political damage from the Gaza war was such that even President Joe Biden, a self-proclaimed Zionist, has accused Bibi Netanyahu of prolonging the Gaza carnage to escape his political death.
The last case of Bibi-Biden differences was the Israeli attack on the densely populated area of Rafah, which further isolated Israel and escalated tensions with Egypt in an unprecedented way.
While the kerfuffle over Rafah continues to plague Tel Aviv, Netanyahu came up with the idea of igniting a nuclear crisis with Iran, a scheme that aims to divert global attention away from Gaza and undermine the Biden administration by portraying it as weak and unable to take on Iran's nuclear program.
Whether the Israeli regime succeeds in manufacturing a global crisis with Iran through machinations remains to be seen. Iran has so far refrained from any provocation and, most recently, even expressed hope that the now-defunct Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will come back to life.
Also, Iran has made preparations for the upcoming visit by the IAEA director general, Rafael Grossi, to Tehran, which is expected to address several issues of mutual interest. The planned escalation of tensions at the next meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, however, may scuttle the ongoing efforts to solidify nuclear de-escalations.
The Tehran Times has more details about such a conspiracy that will publish them if necessary.
First Published by Tehran Times
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