US Not To Block $10 Billion Russian Deal To Build Nuclear Plants In Iran

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the United States will not stand in the way of Russia-Iran nuclear cooperation if the Vienna talks succeed to revive the 2015 agreement, the Washington Free Beacon reported on Monday.

Blinken made the remarks before the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week, saying the United States will not try to stop Russia from cashing in on a $10 billion contract to build nuclear plants for the Islamic Republic.

Responding to California’s Republican representative Darrell Issa who urged assurances that sanctions on both Iran and Russia remain in place as long as Moscow continues the invasion of Ukraine, Blinken said any sanctions lifted as part of a new nuclear deal will be separate from current US pressure campaign on Russia.

The opponents of the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) are worried that the deal funnels billions of dollars to Iran and its allies, saying the money will be spent to further destabilize the region.

Former Special Advisor for Iran at the State Department Gabriel Noronha analyzed the new Iranian military spending data, and argued that Tehran will use the newly achieved leeway to fund and conduct terrorism.

Iran's budget for its new fiscal year shows significant rise in funding of the Intelligence Ministry and domestic oppression forces, TV propaganda and military R&D as well as about four times increase in security infrastructures of the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC).