Iran's economic struggles: Can nuclear talks with US spark a turnaround?
14:00
Issued on: Modified:
From the show
Crippled by international sanctions, and decades of mismanagement and corruption, the Iranian economy has gone through what's been described as a lost decade of economic growth. As the national currency plummets and purchasing power declines, ordinary Iranians are struggling to make ends meet and experience regular power outages. Could the recent nuclear talks between Teheran and Washington eventually lead to a new agreement? FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin speaks to Vali Nasr, Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. He is also the author of 'Iran's Grand Strategy: A political history' published by Princeton University Press.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
26 minutes ago
- Euronews
Tehran recruited Israelis to spy on their homeland
Last week, news broke of the arrest in Israel of two 24-year-old Israelis, Roy Mazrahi and Almoog Attias, on charges of spying for the Islamic Republic of Iran's intelligence services. The two were childhood friends, residents of the town of Nasher near the Israeli port of Haifa, had become addicted to gambling and amassed a lot of debt, the Jerusalem Post reported. According to the report, Mazrahi met an unknown person through an Internet group, who offers him good money in exchange for doing seemingly irrelevant and harmless things. This young Israeli sees the situation as an opportunity to escape his financial crisis. At first, Mazrahi was asked to photograph the areas around his home and then document the sales sign of a car dealership. His next assignment was to burn a note containing a message against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As the missions went on, police said, they found more dangerous aspects, and Mazrahi realised at some point that his employers were Iranian. On another mission, he moved a briefcase, which he thought contained a bomb, from place to place. Then came the main mission. He bought CCTV cameras and rented a room in a hotel in Tel Aviv, along with Almoog Attias, who had been attracted by the same unidentified person. The two then went to the village of Kfar Ahim, the residence of Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz in the south of the country. Their mission was to install the camera facing the entrance road to Mr. Katz's home, which was not successful due to the presence of security forces. Israeli defence officials told the court that the CCTV work was part of a larger operation to assassinate Katz. However, although Roy Mazrahi and Almog Attias are the latest reported case of such espionage operations, several other cases had already been recorded. In fact, almost every few weeks, there is a new report of Israeli citizens being recruited as spies by Iranian intelligence forces. According to a report by Israel's Internal Security Agency (SHINBET), espionage cases in Israel will increase by about 400 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year. The detention of Roy Mazrahi and Almoog Attias was the 20th case linked to espionage for Iran's intelligence services in Israel in the past year, and Tehran appears to be seizing the opportunity of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza in their efforts to recruite Israeli citizens, said Maor Goren, head of the security department of the Israeli police's National Crime Combating Unit (Lahav 433). Spying has increased in the country. Although the stories of the cases vary, there are clear patterns in all of them, the Jerusalem Post reported. The targetted persons are all facing financial difficulties and looking for a shortcut way to pay off their debts. Many of these people are immigrants who have recently arrived in Israel and have less national and patriotic belonging than older Israelis. Yossi Mellman, an expert on espionage affairs and author of the book 'Spies Against Armageddon,' said, 'Most of the people being recruited are worthless and from the fringes of Israeli communities. But the worrying thing is that a country that is constantly calling for the destruction of Israel has been able to infiltrate its society.' He said of the reason for the success of the Islamic Republic of Iran: 'This is linked to the social collapse of Israel in recent years. The society has lost its sense of solidarity and cohesion. Even the government is only concerned with its own survival. People say to themselves that now that government officials are working for Qatar, why not work for Iran?' Maor Goren stressed, however, that many of the people who contact Iranian agents cut off contact after a while, and then brief the police. The method of recruiting forces by the intelligence services of the Islamic Republic of Iran is also relatively simple and does not require complex planning or macro-investment. Iranian agents mostly carry out the recruitment process through social networks and with simple messages. According to the report, Iranian agents typically target specific groups such as fundamentalist orthodox Jews opposed to Zionism, new immigrants, former criminals, and ordinary citizens mired in financial hardship. Some of those detained were immigrants from former Soviet states, and this may have led to a general distrust of certain strata of society. In fact, social media has given Iranian agents access to a part of Israeli society that was previously unavailable or unknown to them. According to the Jerusalem Post, the Islamic Republic of Iran's intelligence services have contacted Israelis via WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, LinkedIn, Instagram and X, promising large sums in exchange for doing simple things such as photographing specific locations or people or writing graffiti. They have also occasionally published private detective search ads to gather intelligence from Israeli officials. Iranian agents have also launched phishing campaigns to collect information from Israeli citizens in the form of surveys. In none of the recruitment methods has there been a sign of Iran at first, and most intrigued Israelis have said they did not know at first that they were working for Tehran. Israel's Internal Security Agency (SHINBET) has had a successful performance in deterring the actions of Iranian agents, and so far it appears that no serious damage has been done to Israel's security. However, spying operations continue and many may still have not been identified. Some critics of Israel's legal system believe that the punishment for the perpetrators attracted is too light, and that a few years in prison is not a deterrent for people who have engaged in such acts in exchange for receiving sums of money. Also, the exposure and detention of these individuals has no particular consequences for Tehran. Iranian agents are only waiting for the next victim to respond to their message. In another case, Moshe Attias, an 18-year-old from Yabneh in central Israel, received such a message: 'Thank you for contacting Iranian intelligence. Message the user account below to speak to our experts on Telegram.' Mr. Attias had received about $1,800 in his digital wallet for documentation from the hospital in Maier, where Naftali Bennett, the former Israeli prime minister, was hospitalized. He identified himself as a relative of Mr Bennett and gave information, including details of the security measures adopted at the site, to Iranian agents. Yossi Mellman commented: 'Getting this close to Mr Bennett is an achievement for the Iranian agents and it shows that they are still continuing their actions. But their influence in Israel is still negligible compared to Israel's influence in Iran.' In August last year, Israeli police detained Moti Maman, a 73-year-old Israeli citizen on suspicion of plotting to assassinate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the indictment, he travelled secretly to Iran twice to meet with Iranian relations and requested $1 million in advance payments in Iran to carry out the assassination. 'Moti Maman had told his contacts that he had no access to high-level officials and had offered to target the mayor of Aka or Nahariya,' Mellman said. He was sentenced to ten years in prison for espionage and plotting assassinations last month. Last year, an Iranian intelligence network focusing only on Jewish immigrants from the Caucasus region managed to attract a couple through an Israeli citizen from Azerbaijan. According to the indictment, the couple received $600 a day for gathering information about potential targets, including surveillance of Mossad's main headquarters. A seven-member network dubbed the 'Haifa Cell' is also accused of imaging dozens of military bases, Iron Dome systems and other strategic targets across Israel in exchange for $500 to $1,200 per mission. According to the indictment, one of their surveillance targets was Navatim Air Base, which was later targeted by an Islamic Republic of Iran missile attack. Not everyone attracted by Iranian agents, of course, is Jewish. Last October, seven Palestinians living in East Jerusalem were detained on suspicion of planning to assassinate a nuclear scientist and the mayor of one of Israel's major cities. To date, Iran's intelligence efforts in Israel do not appear to have achieved much success. Because no senior Israeli official has been assassinated, and even if on occasion live and simultaneous information has been passed to Tehran, this information appears to have been superficial and did not lead to any specific action. However, as Yossi Mellman warns: 'We are ignorant of what we don't know, and the most worrying thing is that some Israelis are willing to betray their homeland for a fistful of dollars.'
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
Hamas responds to US proposal by demanding permanent Gaza ceasefire
Hamas says it has responded to a US proposal for a temporary ceasefire, which Israeli officials have approved, but details of the response were not immediately known. In its response, Hamas reiterated previously stated demands for "a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip," none of which were included in the original draft proposal by the US. In a statement, Hamas said 10 living Israeli hostages and 18 deceased ones would be released in exchange for "an agreed upon number of Palestinian prisoners." According to the initial US proposal, the fighting would stop for 60 days and see the release of some of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and much-needed food aid and other assistance, according to Hamas and Egyptian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. It makes no explicit guarantee of a permanent end to the war. This story is ongoing and will be updated further by our journalists. Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, a confidential report by the UN nuclear watchdog has revealed. In a separate report, the agency called on Tehran to urgently change course and comply with its years-long probe. The report comes at a sensitive time, as the administration of US President Donald Trump seeks to reach a deal with Tehran to limit its nuclear program. The two sides have held several rounds of talks, so far without agreement. The report by the Vienna-based IAEA — which has been seen by The Associated Press — says that as of May 17, Iran has amassed 408.6 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60%. That's an increase of 133.8 kilograms — or almost 50% — since the IAEA's last report in February. The 60% enriched material is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. A report in February put this stockpile level at 274.8 kilograms. There was no immediate comment from Tehran on the new IAEA report. The IAEA report issued a stern warning, saying that Iran is now 'the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material" — something the agency said was of "serious concern.' Approximately 42 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium is theoretically enough to produce one atomic bomb, if enriched further to 90%, according to the watchdog. The IAEA report, a quarterly, also estimated that as of May 17, Iran's overall stockpile of enriched uranium — which includes uranium enriched to lower levels — stood at 9,247.6 kilograms. That's an increase of 953.2 kilograms since February's report. Iran has maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, but the IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, has warned that Tehran has enough uranium enriched to near-weapons-grade levels to make "several" nuclear bombs if it chose to do so. Iranian officials have increasingly suggested that Tehran could pursue an atomic bomb. US intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has 'undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.' Israel said the report was a clear warning sign that "Iran is totally determined to complete its nuclear weapons program,' according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. It said IAEA's report 'strongly reinforces what Israel has been saying for years — the purpose of Iran's nuclear program is not peaceful.' It also added that Iran's level of enrichment 'has no civilian justification whatsoever' and appealed on the international community to 'act now to stop Iran.' It is rare for Netanyahu to make statements on Saturday, the Jewish day of rest, underlying the urgency of the matter. Grossi said Saturday that he 'reiterates his urgent call upon Iran to cooperate fully and effectively' with the IAEA's years long investigation into uranium traces discovered at several sites in Iran. The IAEA also circulated to member states on Saturday a second, 22-page confidential report, also seen by the AP, that Grossi was asked to produce following a resolution passed by the IAEA board of governors last November. In this so-called 'comprehensive report,' the IAEA said that Iran's cooperation with the agency has "been less than satisfactory' when it comes to uranium traces discovered by IAEA inspectors at several locations in Iran that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites. Western officials suspect that the uranium traces discovered by the IAEA could provide evidence that Iran had a secret military nuclear program until 2003. One of the sites became known publicly in 2018 after Netanyahu revealed it at the United Nations and called it a clandestine nuclear warehouse hidden at a rug-cleaning plant. Iran denied this but in 2019 IAEA inspectors detected the presence of manmade uranium particles there. After initially blocking IAEA access, inspectors were able to collect samples in 2020 from two other locations where they also detected the presence of manmade uranium particles. The three locations became known as Turquzabad, Varamin, and Marivan. A fourth undeclared location named as Lavisan-Shian is also part of the IAEA probe but IAEA inspectors never visited the site because it was razed and demolished by Iran after 2003. In Saturday's comprehensive report, the IAEA says that the 'lack of answers and clarifications provided by Iran" to questions the watchdog had regarding Lavisan-Shian, Varamin and Marivan "has led the agency to conclude that these three locations, and other possible related locations, were part of an undeclared structured nuclear program carried out by Iran until the early 2000s and that some activities used undeclared nuclear material.' On Thursday, senior Iranian officials dismissed speculation about an imminent nuclear deal with the United States, emphasizing that any agreement must fully lift sanctions and allow the country's nuclear program to continue. The comments came a day after President Trump said he told Israeli Prime MInister Netanyahu to hold off on striking Iran to give the US administration more time to push for a new deal with Tehran. Trump said on Friday that he still thinks a deal could be completed in the 'not too distant future.' 'They don't want to be blown up. They would rather make a deal,' Trump said of Iran. He added, 'That would be a great thing that we could have a deal without bombs being dropped all over the Middle East.'
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
IAEA: Iran has amassed more near weapons-grade uranium
Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, a confidential report by the UN nuclear watchdog has revealed. In a separate report, the agency called on Tehran to urgently change course and comply with its years-long probe. The report comes at a sensitive time, as the administration of US President Donald Trump seeks to reach a deal with Tehran to limit its nuclear program. The two sides have held several rounds of talks, so far without agreement. The report by the Vienna-based IAEA — which has been seen by The Associated Press — says that as of May 17, Iran has amassed 408.6 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60%. That's an increase of 133.8 kilograms — or almost 50% — since the IAEA's last report in February. The 60% enriched material is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. A report in February put this stockpile level at 274.8 kilograms. There was no immediate comment from Tehran on the new IAEA report. The IAEA report issued a stern warning, saying that Iran is now 'the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material" — something the agency said was of "serious concern.' Approximately 42 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium is theoretically enough to produce one atomic bomb, if enriched further to 90%, according to the watchdog. The IAEA report, a quarterly, also estimated that as of May 17, Iran's overall stockpile of enriched uranium — which includes uranium enriched to lower levels — stood at 9,247.6 kilograms. That's an increase of 953.2 kilograms since February's report. Iran has maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, but the IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, has warned that Tehran has enough uranium enriched to near-weapons-grade levels to make "several" nuclear bombs if it chose to do so. Iranian officials have increasingly suggested that Tehran could pursue an atomic bomb. US intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has 'undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.' Israel said the report was a clear warning sign that "Iran is totally determined to complete its nuclear weapons program,' according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. It said IAEA's report 'strongly reinforces what Israel has been saying for years — the purpose of Iran's nuclear program is not peaceful.' It also added that Iran's level of enrichment 'has no civilian justification whatsoever' and appealed on the international community to 'act now to stop Iran.' It is rare for Netanyahu to make statements on Saturday, the Jewish day of rest, underlying the urgency of the matter. Grossi said Saturday that he 'reiterates his urgent call upon Iran to cooperate fully and effectively' with the IAEA's years long investigation into uranium traces discovered at several sites in Iran. The IAEA also circulated to member states on Saturday a second, 22-page confidential report, also seen by the AP, that Grossi was asked to produce following a resolution passed by the IAEA board of governors last November. In this so-called 'comprehensive report,' the IAEA said that Iran's cooperation with the agency has "been less than satisfactory' when it comes to uranium traces discovered by IAEA inspectors at several locations in Iran that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites. Western officials suspect that the uranium traces discovered by the IAEA could provide evidence that Iran had a secret military nuclear program until 2003. One of the sites became known publicly in 2018 after Netanyahu revealed it at the United Nations and called it a clandestine nuclear warehouse hidden at a rug-cleaning plant. Iran denied this but in 2019 IAEA inspectors detected the presence of manmade uranium particles there. After initially blocking IAEA access, inspectors were able to collect samples in 2020 from two other locations where they also detected the presence of manmade uranium particles. The three locations became known as Turquzabad, Varamin, and Marivan. A fourth undeclared location named as Lavisan-Shian is also part of the IAEA probe but IAEA inspectors never visited the site because it was razed and demolished by Iran after 2003. In Saturday's comprehensive report, the IAEA says that the 'lack of answers and clarifications provided by Iran" to questions the watchdog had regarding Lavisan-Shian, Varamin and Marivan "has led the agency to conclude that these three locations, and other possible related locations, were part of an undeclared structured nuclear program carried out by Iran until the early 2000s and that some activities used undeclared nuclear material.' On Thursday, senior Iranian officials dismissed speculation about an imminent nuclear deal with the United States, emphasizing that any agreement must fully lift sanctions and allow the country's nuclear program to continue. The comments came a day after President Trump said he told Israeli Prime MInister Netanyahu to hold off on striking Iran to give the US administration more time to push for a new deal with Tehran. Trump said on Friday that he still thinks a deal could be completed in the 'not too distant future.' 'They don't want to be blown up. They would rather make a deal,' Trump said of Iran. He added, 'That would be a great thing that we could have a deal without bombs being dropped all over the Middle East.'
