Under the title "Expectations of Escalating Tensions... and 'Atlantic' Website: Tehran Should Worry," Al Arabiya reported that while Middle Eastern countries look at what is happening in Vienna with concern, a report published by the Atlantic warned that Tehran should be more worried, as the negotiations in Vienna regarding the revival of its nuclear program will significantly determine its future in the region.
The website notes that Iran suffers from relatively low military spending and declining oil exports, in addition to sanctions that cripple its economic and service systems. Despite this, it continues to harass its adversaries in the Middle East. According to the site, Iran boasts of controlling four Arab capitals: Beirut, Damascus, Sanaa, and Baghdad. However, the public anger that erupted in Beirut and Baghdad during mass protests confused it after demonstrators publicly attacked its militias there.
The report also highlighted the mood shift against Tehran in Iraq, which led to the defeat of its allies in parliamentary elections, as well as the accusations directed at it regarding the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, according to analysts, even though it has not been officially accused. In Lebanon, the report pointed out the slogans raised by demonstrators for the first time against Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, in cities where the party's influence is increasing.
As for the American side, the report stated that the Biden administration is pushing to pressure Iran to return to the nuclear agreement. This comes as the Israeli Defense Minister plans to travel to Washington next week to discuss the nuclear threat, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The Atlantic report concluded by stating that if the nuclear negotiations with Iran lead nowhere, tensions will escalate again quickly. The seventh round of negotiations to return to the nuclear agreement in Vienna continues, but a tense atmosphere has overshadowed it after the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that Iran had begun producing enriched uranium at the Fordow facility.
Western negotiators fear that Iran is creating facts on the ground to enhance its leverage during the talks. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran had started the uranium enrichment process to a purity level of 20% using advanced centrifuges at the Fordow facility, which is built inside a mountain. The agency confirmed in a statement that it had verified that Iran had fed uranium hexafluoride enriched to a level of 5% into a series of 166 IR-6 centrifuges at Fordow with the aim of increasing the purity to 20%. A recent report revealed that the International Atomic Energy Agency has agreed with Tehran to intensify its auditing tasks regarding the activities of the Fordow reactor and to continue consultations between the agency and Iran regarding practical measures to facilitate additional audits of nuclear activities at the reactor.
