Iran nuclear deal: enraged Saudis whip up tensions

Bengaluru

JUST as it seemed that tensions in the Persian Gulf might be easing with the signing of the nuclear deal, aimed at effectively curbing Iran's capacity to weaponise, the political temperature in the energy-rich region has risen to unprecedented heights. Paradoxically, the very success of the deal contributes to escalating tensions. Iran's Arab adversaries in the Persian Gulf, above all Saudi Arabia, prefer an ostracised nuclear Iran over a competitive oil producer and responsible regional power, and now try a series of policies forcing the United States to take sides. Ironically, anti-American hardliners in Iran have proved to be their unintended allies.

By all accounts Iran has implemented its part of the deal, including decommissioning the Arak plutonium facility by removing the reactor core, shipping most of its low-enriched uranium to Russia and reducing the number of centrifuges installed at the Fordow and Natanz sites. These actions foreclose any possibility of Iran taking either the uranium or the plutonium route towards the acquisition of nuclear weapons in the near future.