TEHRAN(Bazaar) – Professor Frank N. von Hippel, former assistant director for national security in the White House Office of Science and Technology, believes that the human cost of the Gaza war is terrible. It must stop!
“No one (except possibly Netanyahu) wants the war to spread and for the US and Iran to be sucked in. But, with Hezbollah and the Houthis being drawn in, the danger is increasing,” Professor Frank N. von Hippel told Bazaar News Agency.
Following is the text of the Bazaar interview with Professor Frank N. von Hippel.
Q: The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, recently said that Iran is rapidly enriching uranium, but we are not saying that it has weapons. He has also announced that the path of talks with Iran is still open. What is your assessment of his words?
A: Iran should work with the IAEA to resolve the issues between them regardless of the JCPOA.
Q: After Grossi's statement, Anthony Blinken also announced that the withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA was a big mistake and that Iran's nuclear program has been freed from this restraint and we are now in a situation that we did not want to be in. What is your assessment of his words?
A: I agree. Trump made a terrible mistake withdrawing the US from the JCPOA. He has had a negative impact on both international and domestic politics in the United States.
Q: In a statement parallel to Grossi and Blinken's statements, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian announced in a meeting with the Swiss Foreign Minister: “The Sultan of Oman's initiative is still on the table and the Islamic Republic of Iran adheres to the path of negotiation.” Can these positions be considered a reason to start negotiations?
A: The JCPOA is such a polarized issue in the US that I don’t expect the Biden Administration to be able to negotiate with Iran on it until after the elections.
Q: At the same time, Iran's foreign minister has announced that the Sultan of Oman's initiative is on the table, and before that a plan was proposed by Japan, which was welcomed by Amir-Abdollahian. Do you think that Iran has that plan on its agenda or is it focused on Oman's plan?
A: I cannot read the minds of Iran’s government.
Q: In general, what is the meaning of these positions proposed by the officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran and the United States in the midst of the Gaza war and war in the Red Sea?
A: The human cost of the Gaza war is terrible. It must stop! No one (except possibly Netanyahu) wants the war to spread and for the US and Iran to be sucked in. But, with Hezbollah and the Houthis being drawn in, the danger is increasing. We need something positive to happen to interrupt this downward momentum.
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