Putin seeks control of Iran nuclear program through third party — Bar-Ilan University professor

Zeev Khanin, Professor of Political Science at Bar-Ilan University (Israel), stated this on Espreso TV.

“Moscow wants endless negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, as was the case before. The Americans are trying to find a compromise, to exert pressure. Some believed that the Israeli strike was a form of pressure, but the effect exceeded expectations. And Donald Trump, most likely, decided to join in the success, that is, to achieve a result that was not anticipated,” Khanin noted.

According to the professor, from Moscow’s point of view, this prolonged negotiation process can resume from the point at which it was interrupted. For Russia, there are two scenarios it considers unacceptable. The first is the signing of an agreement between the U.S. and Iran on terms favorable to the U.S. and Israel. For Moscow, this is a very negative outcome. The second is the complete destruction of Iran. Russia is not satisfied with either option.

“Previously, this was considered insider information, but it has already been published more than once: before the start of the Israeli attack, Iran and the U.S. had almost reached an agreement. The Iranian side initially put forward excessive demands, but later made compromises. Under certain conditions, they were ready for a deal.

The agreement, which suited both Iran and the U.S., stipulated that Iran would retain the ability to enrich uranium, meaning it would not be deprived of its nuclear program, but control over it, as well as over the supply and return of nuclear materials, would be transferred to a third party. This could have been either Russia or France—both countries have the necessary technologies.

The process was to be managed by an external body—and not the IAEA. The plan was to create a consortium of representatives from interested parties. This did not really suit Israel, but the parties had almost reached an agreement,” Khanin said.

The professor also recalled that a meeting was scheduled in Oman for June 15, which did not take place. The reason was a change in the Iranian negotiating team, which proposed completely different terms, unacceptable to the U.S. In response, Donald Trump refused further negotiations, stating that he was lifting his demands and restrictions, essentially saying, “do as you wish,” since agreements with the previous delegation were no longer possible.

“So, Putin can discuss only one thing with his Iranian counterparts—a return to the old scheme, if they are truly interested in ending military actions. And Russia is definitely interested in this. Note how the focus has changed on Russian TV channels: if earlier Iran was portrayed as a country from hell, now it’s not seen as so bad,” Khanin concluded.

• Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sent Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Moscow to ask the dictator of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, for military assistance after the largest U.S. military operation since the 1979 revolution.