The files we follow: Relations between Iran and its neighboring countries; Relations between Iran and the United States; Relations between Iran and the BRICS; Relations between Turkey and the European Union; Relations between Turkey and the BRICS.
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On Friday, June 13, the Israeli army’s “Operation Rising Lion” began on Iranian territory, targeting various facilities in the country’s nuclear program. In the front line were uranium enrichment sites, as well as military installations such as missile launch sites. Tsahal’s air strikes also hit the regime’s state television facilities north of Tehran, as well as Mehrabad airport, also in the capital. The operation also included sabotage of ground-based air defense systems, and the elimination of dozens of members of the Revolutionary Guards’ chain of command. The eliminations took place not only in military compounds, but also in the homes of the targets. In response to this offensive, the Islamic Republic subsequently launched several series of missile strikes on Israeli territory on the same day, and is currently continuing its attacks as the Israeli army advances into Iran.
While the confrontation is still underway, and US President Donald Trump is casting doubt on the possibility of the US army intervening alongside Israel, in particular to hit targets such as the Fordow enrichment site, other regional powers are speaking out and calling for de-escalation. Among them, Russia has expressed its desire to ease tensions between the belligerents, condemned the Israeli operation, and voiced its disapproval of the possible elimination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei: “I don’t even want to discuss this possibility. I don’t want to,” declared President Vladimir Putin on June 19. But what about Russian-Iranian nuclear cooperation? What are the stakes involving Moscow in the complete destruction or otherwise of Iran’s program?
Despite threats to all nuclear facilities, the Russian president reaffirmed his determination to maintain existing cooperation with Tehran, particularly at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southwest Iran. This site has been at the heart of Russian-Iranian cooperation in this sector since 2011. Initially launched in 1974 with the cooperation of the German company Siemens, the project called for the creation of two reactors. But when the Islamic revolution of 1979 brought down the Pahlavi monarchy, the project was left unfinished, and the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-1988 extended the deadline for completion. After the war, Siemens refused to go ahead with construction due to diplomatic pressure from Washington. Finally, in 2008, Iran received its first Russian delivery of fuel to power the plant. The second and third production units were scheduled to come on stream between 2025 and 2027, but Western sanctions on the Iranian program are slowing progress on the project. The International Atomic Energy Agency is responsible for sealing the new fuel until it reaches the reactor. Bushehr is currently the only active nuclear power plant in Iran, relying mainly on Russian uranium supplies. More than just an area of cooperation, this project reflects Iran and Russia’s shared distrust of Western policies.
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