Berlin Calls for Resolving Differences Over Iran’s Nuclear File

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Berlin on Thursday (EPA)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Berlin on Thursday (EPA)
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Berlin Calls for Resolving Differences Over Iran’s Nuclear File

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Berlin on Thursday (EPA)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Berlin on Thursday (EPA)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday called for resolving differences over the Iranian nuclear efforts and expressed his concern about the “real danger” posed by Tehran's program.

Speaking alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after talks in Berlin, Scholz said Germany and other countries are working to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons. “Israel should not be threatened,” he affirmed.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu wrote on his Twitter account that Israel will do what it needs to do to defend itself against those who want to annihilate the Jewish state.

“Israel will also act against Iran's aggression and terrorism. Those who perpetrate terror attacks against Israel and those who send them will pay a heavy price,” he said.

On March 7, France, Germany and the UK (E3) gave a joint statement to the IAEA Board of Governors on Iran’s implementation of its nuclear commitments under the JCPoA.

The E3 said they are especially alarmed by the recent sampling at Fordow, which showed the presence of highly enriched uranium (HEU) particles to 83.7%.

“This is significantly inconsistent with the level of enrichment declared by Iran and Iran has yet to convince us that this was due to its claimed ‘unintended fluctuations,” the statement said.

Earlier this month, IAEA said Iran has given sweeping assurances to the UN nuclear watchdog that it will finally assist a long-stalled investigation into uranium particles found at undeclared sites and even re-install removed monitoring equipment.

IAEA is asking Iran for more inspections and the reactivation of surveillance cameras and monitoring equipment at some of the country's nuclear sites. Also, Iran should offer the UN nuclear watchdog convincing explanations on the origin of uranium particles enriched to 83.7% purity - very close to weapons grade - at Iran's underground Fordow.

Meanwhile in Tehran, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said Thursday that Deputy Director General and Head of the Safeguards Department of the UN nuclear watchdog (IAEA) is on his way to Tehran for talks with Iranian officials.

Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said that Massimo Aparo will pursue the negotiations recently held by experts of the IAEA and those of the AEOI during Grossi’s recent visit to Iran this month.

Kamalvandi noted that the safeguards and technical discussions will be in line with the joint statement of the IAEA and the AEOI that was issued during the visit.

Meanwhile, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell called on Iran, in a phone call with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, to speed up the implementation of the agreement between Tehran and the IAEA, according to Iranian websites.

The call came a few hours after Grossi said he’s sending a technical team to Iran in the next few days to follow up on Tehran’s commitments.

“We still need to start the process of getting these additional, further monitoring and verification capacities,” Grossi said, explaining that the process could take “maybe weeks or days.”

“I hope there won’t be any trouble,” the IAEA chief added, according to WSJ reporter Laurence Norman.

Also, US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley said he met with Grossi and discussed the IAEA chief’s recent meetings in Tehran this month.

“We stressed that Iran should follow through on its commitments made to IAEA and should facilitate any access deemed necessary by the agency,” Malley wrote on his Twitter account.

Meanwhile, Russia's Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said, “somebody needs to engage the US on finalization of the Vienna talks on restoration of the nuclear deal in order to avoid the high risk of uncontrolled escalation.”



Iran Threats in UK 'Significantly Increased', Says Intel Watchdog

The parliamentary committee blamed Iran for at least 15 attempts at murder or kidnap inside the UK since 2022 - AFP
The parliamentary committee blamed Iran for at least 15 attempts at murder or kidnap inside the UK since 2022 - AFP
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Iran Threats in UK 'Significantly Increased', Says Intel Watchdog

The parliamentary committee blamed Iran for at least 15 attempts at murder or kidnap inside the UK since 2022 - AFP
The parliamentary committee blamed Iran for at least 15 attempts at murder or kidnap inside the UK since 2022 - AFP

A UK parliamentary committee on Thursday blamed Iran for at least 15 attempts to kill or kidnap British-based individuals since 2022, saying the threat from Iran had "significantly increased".

London's response has been too focused on "crisis management", said parliament's intelligence and security committee, with concerns over Iran's nuclear program dominating their attention too much.

Tehran swiftly issued a "categorical rejection of the unfounded, politically motivated and hostile allegations".

The committee's claims were "baseless, irresponsible, and reflective of a broader pattern of distortion intended to malign Iran's legitimate regional and national interests", said its London embassy, AFP reported.

The report comes after growing alarm in Britain at alleged Iranian targeting of dissidents, media organizations and journalists in the UK, including accusations of physical attacks.

Iran in March became the first country to be placed on an enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which aims to boost Britain's national security against covert foreign influences.

It requires all persons working inside the country for Iran, its intelligence services or the Revolutionary Guard to register on a new list or face jail.

"Iran poses a wide-ranging, persistent and unpredictable threat to the UK, UK nationals, and UK interests," Kevan Jones, chairman of the watchdog committee, said in the report's conclusions.

"Iran has a high appetite for risk when conducting offensive activity and its intelligence services are ferociously well-resourced with significant areas of asymmetric strength."

Jones said it bolstered this through proxy groups, "including criminal networks, militant and terrorist organisations, and private cyber actors" to allow for deniability.

His committee's report said that while Iran's UK activity "appears to be less strategic and on a smaller scale than Russia and China", it "should not be underestimated".

The physical threat posed had "significantly increased" in pace and volume, and was "focused acutely on dissidents and other opponents of the regime" as well as Jewish and Israeli interests in the UK, it said.

"The Iranian Intelligence Services have shown that they are willing and able -- often through third-party agents -- to attempt assassination within the UK, and kidnap from the UK," the report said.

"There have been at least 15 attempts at murder or kidnap against British nationals or UK-based individuals since the beginning of 2022."

Similarly, security minister Dan Jarvis said in March Britain's MI5 domestic intelligence service had tallied 20 Iran-backed plots "presenting potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents".

The watchdog committee took evidence for two years from August 2021 for its report, a period which saw Tehran implicated in a plot to kill two London-based Iran International television anchors.

In March last year one of the Persian-language outlet's journalists was stabbed outside his London home.

Two Romanian men have been charged in relation to the attack and face extradition to the UK to stand trial.

The counter-terrorism unit of London's Metropolitan Police led the investigation. Iran's charge d'affaires in the UK has said that the Tehran authorities "deny any link" to the incident.