
Iran is facing renewed hostility against its nuclear program since the chances for the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal have increased with the meeting of JCPOA’s signatories in Vienna last week

The attack on the Saviz took place on the same day as the meeting of the joint commission of the signatories of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to work out ways to revive the deal

Iranian officials said that there were no plans for meetings with US officials “directly or indirectly.” They also rejected any step-by-step proposal for the restoration of the deal, calling for the immediate withdrawal of sanctions

Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif said that the country has suffered a loss of over USD 1 trillion due to over 1.600 sanctions imposed by the US since its unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018

The withdrawal of the letters is being seen as a positive move towards the revival of the Iran nuclear deal. However, Iran wants the US to take firm action and lift all unilateral sanctions before it reverts back to full adherence to the provisions of the deal

The Biden administration, however, has refused to lift sanctions first and has put pre-condition of Iran’s full compliance to the Iran nuclear deal before it rejoins it

Former Indian Ambassador M.K. Bhadrakumar and Newsclick’s Prabir Purkayastha discuss what lies ahead in West Asia as a new US administration takes charge

Iran announced on Monday that it has started enriching uranium to up to 20% as per the law passed by its parliament in November and according to the provisions of the 2015 nuclear deal

As the US continues to mount pressure on Iran, the latter has said it “intends to produce low-enriched uranium up to 20 percent at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant”

The Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the deal in May 2018 and imposed various sanctions against Iran without any international approval

The relentless maximum pressure campaign of the Trump administration against Iran which is continuing even after his electoral loss will be tough for a Biden administration to reverse, assuming there is the will to do so

Sale of F-35 fighter aircraft and advanced drones to the UAE is expected to increase the arms race in the Middle East region. Activists have especially flagged the potential use of these weapons in Yemen