TEHRAN (Bazaar) –Nader Entessar, Professor Emeritus of Political Science from university of South Alabama says that if the nuclear deadlock between Iran and the West is broken, Iran can certainly become a player in supplying Europe's energy needs.
“However, without resolving the issues surrounding the JCPOA's revival, Iran's role as an energy supplier to Europe will remain negligible,” Entessar told Bazaar.
Following is the full text of the Bazaar interview with Professor Entessar:
Bazaar: After the European Union's coordinator for nuclear talks with Iran, Enrique Mora’s visit to Iran, European foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters shortly before entering the G7 summit that Enrique Mora's visit to Tehran was “very positive” and that talks with Iran will be resumed soon. What is your assessment of these words?
Entessar: The EU usually puts a positive spin on its statements after its high-level officials visit Iran and discuss issues related to the Iran nuclear deal. Only time will tell if Josep Borrell's optimism this time is warranted or not.
Bazaar: Doesn't the start of negotiations means that some issues have been agreed upon, albeit in a minimal way, and that it is a kind of opening in the deadlock of negotiations?
Entessar: Not necessarily. The start of negotiations could simply imply that all sides have agreed to restart the talks in Vienna to see if they can remove the remaining obstacles. In other words, Iran and the West may have decided that "jaw-jaw" is preferable to terminal deadlock at this stage of negotiations.
Bazaar: Simultaneously with Mora's trip to Iran, the Emir of Qatar also traveled to Iran. What did the coincidence of these two trips mean?
Entessar: The two visits were related, although the Emir of Qatar's visit had a broader agenda than Mora's trip did. In addition to the JCPOA, the EMir of Qatar's talks in Tehran dealt with broad regional developments and issues of mutual interest to both sides in the Persian Gulf.
Bazaar: Reuters wrote that the purpose of the Emir of Qatar's visit to Tehran is to try to revive the JCPOA and provide energy due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. What effect can Iran's aid to the European energy supply have on relations between the two sides?
Entessar: If the nuclear deadlock between Iran and the West is broken, Iran can certainly become a player in supplying Europe's energy needs. However, without resolving the issues surrounding the JCPOA's revival, Iran's role as an energy supplier to Europe will remain negligible.
Bazaar: Given Mora's visit to Iran and the fact that Borrell stated that there is a prospect of reaching a final agreement, how much does it add to the optimism about the final agreement?
Entessar: According to a Bloomberg report published on May 13, 2022, Iran's nuclear program received a record number of inspections last year by the International Atomic Inspection Agency (IAEA). Bloomberg claims that it has seen a restricted IAEA report that indicates that the international nuclear agency conducted more than one inspection a day last year among Iran's 21 declared nuclear facilities. Bloomberg also claimed that IAEA inspections rose to a record number even after Iran prevented snap visits and imposed some restrictions on IAEA inspections after February 2021.
If the Bloomberg report is accurate and not simply journalistic speculation, then Borrell's optimism may reflect the implications of Iran's extensive and far-reaching cooperation with the IAEA inspectors and Iran's willingness to go the proverbial extra mile to accommodate a major part of the West's demands.
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