Divisions in Iran over the Impact of Ukraine Crisis on Vienna Talks

Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Enrique Mora and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani wait for the start of a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria December 3, 2021. EU Delegation in Vienna/Handout via REUTERS
Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Enrique Mora and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani wait for the start of a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria December 3, 2021. EU Delegation in Vienna/Handout via REUTERS
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Divisions in Iran over the Impact of Ukraine Crisis on Vienna Talks

Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Enrique Mora and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani wait for the start of a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria December 3, 2021. EU Delegation in Vienna/Handout via REUTERS
Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Enrique Mora and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani wait for the start of a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria December 3, 2021. EU Delegation in Vienna/Handout via REUTERS

The Iranian media is divided over the Russian position and the impact of the Ukrainian crisis on Vienna talks aimed at reviving the nuclear deal with world powers.

Nuclear negotiations are nearing the finish line with an announcement expected soon on a new deal to lift sanctions in exchange for renewed controls on uranium enrichment.

Parties supporting the 2015 nuclear agreement expressed optimism as the US State Department asserts it will maintain contact with Russia on issues considered key to its national security interests. These include talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal.

Analysts say the repercussions of the Ukrainian crisis on the efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear pact depend on future developments, the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) reported.

The heightened tension may affect the talks, analysts note, warning against booting Russia off the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) or imposing sanctions targeting its oil and gas exports.

The state-run ISNA news agency has recently tried to answer frequently asked questions on the link between the Ukrainian crisis and the nuclear talks in Vienna.

Its analyst cited two factors that would have an impact on the talks. The first is linked to the phase the negotiations have reached, and the second is the depth of the Ukrainian crisis and possible military escalation.

The agency dismissed any long-term agreement between the West and Russia on outstanding issues.

According to Fararu news agency experts, the failure of talks will transfer the technical-political matter into a security issue, which Russia does not want.

Iran must pursue its interests regardless of the circumstances, former Deputy Foreign Minister Javad Larijani told IRNA, expressing “optimism” about the future of talks.

Former Iranian MP Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh told Arman Meli newspaper that Russians didn’t allow the deal to be signed before invading Ukraine.

He said the optimism expressed by Russia's representative at the talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, is a “big lie.”

Falahatpisheh further warned that Russia would sell the agreement in exchange for winning the war on Ukraine.



Ukraine Says Russian Drone Attack Injures Three, Damages Homes in Odesa 

A resident stands on a backyard of his house damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine April 16, 2025. (Reuters)
A resident stands on a backyard of his house damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine April 16, 2025. (Reuters)
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Ukraine Says Russian Drone Attack Injures Three, Damages Homes in Odesa 

A resident stands on a backyard of his house damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine April 16, 2025. (Reuters)
A resident stands on a backyard of his house damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine April 16, 2025. (Reuters)

A Russian drone attack on the Black Sea port city of Odesa overnight injured three people, sparked fires and damaged homes and civilian infrastructure, officials of the southern Ukrainian region said on Wednesday.

Various morning attacks by Russian aviation and artillery on the southern city of Kherson also killed one person and injured three more, local authorities said.

In a Telegram post, Ukraine's emergency service said three people were injured and several fires broke out in Odesa as a result of the overnight attack there.

In Odesa, residents picked through debris in several ruined homes. A woman swept up after the windows in a church were smashed.

The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 57 out of 97 drones launched by Russia overnight. Another 34 did not reach their targets likely due to electronic warfare countermeasures.

It did not specify what happened to the remaining six drones.

The emergency services also said an attack on Kamianske in Dnipropetrovsk region injured two people and damaged a gas pipeline. The fires had been put out by the morning.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Russia.

Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia started with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.

Late in March, the United States said it had reached separate deals with Ukraine and Russia to pause their attacks over the Black Sea and against each other's energy targets.

Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of breaking the moratorium on striking energy facilities.