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Iranian FM to Discuss the Nuclear Deal with Russian FM...Tehran Warns EU of 'Miscalculations'

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian welcoming Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, in Tehran (File photo: EPA)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian welcoming Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, in Tehran (File photo: EPA)
    London, Tehran - Asharq Al-Awsat
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Iranian FM to Discuss the Nuclear Deal with Russian FM...Tehran Warns EU of 'Miscalculations'

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian welcoming Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, in Tehran (File photo: EPA)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian welcoming Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, in Tehran (File photo: EPA)

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian would visit Moscow on Wednesday to discuss several issues with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday that Lavrov and Amirabdollahian would exchange views on current international issues, including the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the situation in Syria, Afghanistan, the South Caucasus region, and the Caspian Sea region.

The parties would also discuss ways to improve the situation in the Middle East following the recently announced restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, she added, according to the Russian Tass agency.

The Russian and Iranian foreign ministers would also discuss efforts to coordinate the two countries' activities on international platforms, including the UN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the prospects for talks on a free trade agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union.

Meanwhile, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said he had a "frank and open phone call" with his Iranian counterpart, calling for full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Schallenberg tweeted that he expected an end to repression of peaceful protests, total respect for women's rights, and release of prisoners.

The FM "welcomed the agreement with Saudi Arabia as a step towards de-escalation in the region."

Furthermore, Iran's chief negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani warned officials from France, Britain, and Germany against "miscalculations," while Western countries are pressuring Iran to implement the latest agreement with the IAEA.

Bagheri-Kani confirmed that he met officials from France, Britain, and Germany in Oslo last week and warned them against "certain miscalculations."

He tweeted that he traveled to the Norwegian capital for a meeting with officials from European countries participating in the nuclear deal.

"We discussed extensively a range of issues of mutual interest and concern. We spare no opportunity to clarify our views and warn against certain miscalculations. We're determined to advance our national interests, including through diplomacy," said the official.

Bagheri-Kani did not elaborate on the details of the meeting.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the European Union did not participate, contrary to a Mehr news agency report.

Another Western diplomatic source confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Western countries are using all available channels to urge Iran to clarify the traces of highly-enriched uranium of up to 83.7 percent, close to the 90 percent that enables the production of a nuclear bomb.

The sources said that the meeting dealt with several issues, namely the Iranian escalation in the nuclear issue, adding that European diplomats "clearly" expressed their countries' concerns and positions to the Iranian side.

The sources said the meeting did not address the nuclear talks or the possibility of returning to it.

Israel has recently intensified its threats of military action against Tehran to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons. Tehran denies it aims to develop atomic weapons.

Axios news website reported that Israel told the Biden administration and several European countries that Iran would enter dangerous territory that could trigger an Israeli military strike if it enriches uranium above 60 percent.

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China Has Expanded its Nuclear Force, Strengthened Ties to Russia, the Pentagon Says

An American flag is flown next to the Chinese national emblem outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Nov. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
An American flag is flown next to the Chinese national emblem outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Nov. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
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China Has Expanded its Nuclear Force, Strengthened Ties to Russia, the Pentagon Says

An American flag is flown next to the Chinese national emblem outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Nov. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
An American flag is flown next to the Chinese national emblem outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Nov. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

China is expanding its nuclear force, has increased military pressure against Taiwan and has strengthened its ties with Russia over the past year, according to a Pentagon report Wednesday that details actions accelerating key areas of conflict with the United States.

The report, however, also notes that the recent rash of corruption allegations within China's powerful Central Military Commission, which oversees the People’s Liberation Army, is hurting Beijing’s military growth and could slow its campaign to modernize.

The impact, said a senior defense official, is a bit of a mixed bag because while there has been progress in some programs, China has slid back in others.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the US assessment, warned that Beijing is working toward developing a more diverse and technologically sophisticated nuclear force. While the expected number of nuclear warheads has maintained consistent growth, China is broadening its targeting abilities, The AP reported.

Beijing is going to be able to go after more and different types of targets, do greater damage and have more options for multiple rounds of counterstrikes, the official said. The US is urging China to be more transparent about its nuclear program, while also warning that America will defend its allies and take appropriate steps in response.

According to the report, which provides the annual US assessment of China’s military power and is required by Congress, China had more than 600 operational nuclear warheads as of May, and the US expects it will have more than 1,000 by 2030.

The Biden administration has worked to maintain a balance with China, building up the US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region to be ready to counter Beijing while also encouraging increased communications between the two countries at the diplomatic and military levels.

That uptick in talks has coincided with a decrease in coercive and risky intercepts of US aircraft since late 2023, compared with the previous two years. China still, however, does what the US military considers “unsafe” flights near American and allied forces in the region.

The Pentagon’s national defense strategy is built around China being the greatest security challenge for the US, and the threat from Beijing influences how the US military is equipped and organized for the future.

The corruption within the PLA has resulted in at least 15 high-ranking officials being ousted in a major shakeup of China’s defense establishment.

“This wave of corruption touches every service in the PLA, and it may have shaken Beijing’s confidence," the report said.

In June, China announced that former Defense Minister Li Shangfu and his predecessor, Wei Fenghe, were expelled from the ruling Communist Party and accused of corruption. Last month, another senior official, Miao Hua, was suspended and put under investigation, according to China's Defense Ministry.

The US report points to a persistent increased military presence by China around Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its own. It said China's navy has been in the region more and that there have been increased crossings into the island's air defense identification zone and major military exercises in the area.

Just last week, a large deployment of Chinese navy and coast guard vessels in the waters around Taiwan triggered alarm as Taiwanese officials said it looked like China was simulating a blockade. Officials have said there were as many as 90 ships involved in what Taiwan described as two walls designed to demonstrate that the waters belong to China.

Taiwan split from communist China in 1949 and has rejected Beijing’s demands that it accept unification. China says it will do so by force if necessary, and leaders have said they want to be ready to do so by 2027.

The United States is obligated under domestic law to help defend Taiwan and give it weapons and technology to deter invasion.

The island democracy has been the chief source of tension between Washington and Beijing for decades and is widely seen as the most likely trigger for a potentially catastrophic US-China war.

More broadly, the report concluded that the PLA continued its drive to develop greater military capabilities but “made uneven progress toward its 2027” milestone for modernization.

One area of expansion, the report said, is with unmanned aerial systems, which officials said are “quickly approaching US standards.”

Regarding Russia, the report said China has supported Russia's war against Ukraine and sold Russia dual-use items that Moscow's military industry relies on. Dual use items can be used for both civilian and military purposes.