Pundit:

US seeking to talk to Iran on non-nuclear issues

The US House of Representatives has passed legislation to bar the government from facilitating the sales of aircraft to Iran, prompting speculations that Washington is ignoring its obligations under a nuclear deal with Iran.

News ID: 425161

Date: 19 November 2016 - 16:24

RNA - Pye Ian, an independent economic and political researcher, told in an interview that the United States wants to continue its pressures on Iran to bring it to the negotiating table on issues which are not related to its nuclear program.

US President-elect Donald Trump, he said, is taking advice from old realist politicians like Henry Kissinger, "to use stick instead of carrot with regard to Iran in order to bring it to the table with regard to other factors not nuclear weapons, not nuclear enrichment.”

"It (the US establishment) is very concerned with the strategy that it puts forward toward Iran expecting to be able to have Iran come to the table and see eye to eye on various issues involving longer term strategy in the energy sector, in the regional sector, with regard to Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere,” Ian said on Friday night.

According to the researcher, the United States wants to force Iran to step away from the Syrian government and “any sense of collusion with Russia, China and Turkey or pipeline politics that do not fit what London, Washington and Brussels ideally want for Iran to be able to behave.”

He also stated that there are issues with regard to the “West’s perception of Iran, its building alliances back east, its continuing sovereign independence with regard to geopolitical initiatives, its energy policies and its drawing closer to Turkey post July 15th coup in Turkey.”

Maxine Dovere, a reporter and political commentator, said the fact that the House has passed the measure with a large majority "is very strong statement about the demands that they have to carry forward the demand that the sanctions be available.”

“Logic would say that in the hope of establishing normal relationships with Iran there would be a way of those providing the planes and protecting the technology and maybe that is the pathway that is still being explored,” she said.

However, "it would be unprecedented to go back on the international agreement that has been signed, that has been agreed to, by a multiparty," Dovere said.

“This (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) is a signed international deal. Walking back from it would not be according to diplomatic policy” and "would weaken the American position as a partner in any deal,” she said.

A bill to prohibit the Treasury Department from issuing licenses that American banks would need to complete transactions for selling or leasing over 200 jets to Iran Air is the latest effort by congressional Republicans to counteract a historic nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers.

The House of Representatives also passed a 10-year extension of the Iran Sanctions Act on Tuesday. Despite the fact that the bill does not impose new sanctions on Iran, it extends the existing embargoes, which is contrary to the provisions of the JCPOA.

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