MOSCOW, May 13. /TASS/. Iran and the US could go back to fighting soon as diplomacy stalls; Russia flexes its military might as it tests new nuclear missile technology; and prognosing the fallout from the latest corruption scandal in Ukraine. These stories topped Wednesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Iran and the US are edging closer to renewed war. Tehran has threatened to increase uranium enrichment to 90%, which is sufficient for producing nuclear weapons, while US President Donald Trump, who has already rejected Iran’s peace plan twice, regularly states that Tehran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear bomb. Although experts argue that negotiations and a settlement are still possible, Iran is expected to stay firm in its demands, even if a new round of conflict begins.
There are currently no signs that Iran is ready to devote significant resources to its nuclear program, Middle East expert Leonid Tsukanov told Izvestia. Moreover, the emergence of such weapons in Iran would trigger a regional arms race and a new wave of militarization in the Persian Gulf states, which is something Tehran does not want, the expert emphasized. "Iran views a hypothetical nuclear arsenal as a deterrent and would only use it as a last resort if it faced an existential threat. This approach takes into account the positions of both the religious community and the security forces," the expert noted.
