TEHRAN(Bazaar) – Professor Frank N. von Hippel, former assistant director for national security in the White House Office of Science and Technology, says the current impasse in Vienna talks is very dangerous.
He adds “If Iran continues to produce and accumulate weapon-usable highly enriched uranium, it will soon have enough to make a nuclear bomb. That may be a “red line” for some of Iran’s adversaries in the Middle East.”
Following is the text of the Bazaar interview with Professor Frank N. von Hippel.
Bazaar: The Wall Street Journal quoted Western diplomats as saying that the European Union had offered to send Enrique Mora to break the deadlock in the negotiations to revive the JCPOA. What is your assessment of this trip?
Frank N. von Hippel: The current impasse is very dangerous. If Iran continues to produce and accumulate weapon-usable highly enriched uranium, it will soon have enough to make a nuclear bomb. That may be a “red line” for some of Iran’s adversaries in the Middle East.
Bazaar: According to this newspaper, Mora wants to convince Iran to sign the agreement ‘now’ without removing the IRGC form U.S Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), and Tehran has not yet responded to accepting this trip. Will Tehran agree to this trip and offer?
Frank N. von Hippel: I would hope that Teheran would agree to the proposal.
Bazaar: Does the word ‘now’ mean signing an agreement on nuclear issues and holding separate talks on the IRGC?
Frank N. von Hippel: That could be a path forward.
Bazaar: The newspaper also reported that the current stalemate in the talks could last for months. What does this mean? That is, the parties may fall short of their positions?
Frank N. von Hippel: I worry that, if Iran continues to accumulate weapon-usable highly enriched uranium, we may not have months to reach a peaceful conclusion to these negotiations.
Bazaar: The United States set a deadline at the beginning of the negotiations, but does not set a deadline now. What is the reason for this?
Frank N. von Hippel: The US does not want war with Iran and a deadline would be a step toward war.
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