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
TT

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.



ISIS Claims Responsibility for Chinese National Killed in Afghanistan

An Afghan man is silhouetted during sunset, at Bangala area in the Chimtal district of Balkh province on January 19, 2025. (Photo by Atif Aryan / AFP)
An Afghan man is silhouetted during sunset, at Bangala area in the Chimtal district of Balkh province on January 19, 2025. (Photo by Atif Aryan / AFP)
TT

ISIS Claims Responsibility for Chinese National Killed in Afghanistan

An Afghan man is silhouetted during sunset, at Bangala area in the Chimtal district of Balkh province on January 19, 2025. (Photo by Atif Aryan / AFP)
An Afghan man is silhouetted during sunset, at Bangala area in the Chimtal district of Balkh province on January 19, 2025. (Photo by Atif Aryan / AFP)

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the killing of a Chinese national in Afghanistan's northern Takhar province, in a post on its Telegram channel late on Wednesday.
Afghan police in the province had said on Wednesday that a Chinese citizen was murdered and a preliminary investigation had been launched, but it was not clear who was behind the attack, Reuters reported.
ISIS said it had targeted a vehicle carrying the Chinese citizen, which led to his death and damage to his vehicle.
China's foreign ministry said on Thursday it was "deeply shocked" by the attack and had demanded that the Afghan side thoroughly investigate the incident and severely punish the perpetrators.
"We urge the Afghan interim government to take resolute and effective measures to ensure the security of Chinese civil institutions and projects in Afghanistan," ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing.
China was the first country to appoint an ambassador to Afghanistan under the Taliban and has said it wants to boost trade and investment ties.