The Iranian cabinet remains distracted from their upcoming presidential election as developments stemming from their nuclear ambitions are moving forward. When asked if any cabinet members have even declared candidacy, the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs went so far as to say that, “under the circumstances, I do not think it would be wise (for any cabinet member to run).” The Iranians clearly want to avoid creating an internal political struggle, they are mired by large scale diplomatic negotiations between larger foreign powers.
As tensions rise following Iran’s official statement regarding their intent to nuclearize, Iran feels threatened by the United States and its allies. Especially since the Americans, Israelis, and Saudis recently held a secretive tripartite summit. The Iranian Ambassador to Russia made an official statement to the New York Times regarding the recent communications between the three countries “Iran is not threatened by the U.S. and its imperial lapdogs, the State of Israel and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, although we are sure that it is their intention,” the ambassador proceeded to tell the Times that “we are the victim of arbitrary western-backed aggressions.” The New York Times attempted to reach out to an Israeli Cabinet Minister for a comment, but it appears that the Israelis are not ready to make a statement.
Privately, the Iranian cabinet ministers who were interviewed seemed to feel less than safe regarding the recent summit. The New York Times agreed not to publish the extent of these negative premonitions, but we will continue to report on those sentiments as the situation develops.
Unsurprisingly, the West isn’t the only side of the globe interested in Iran. According to an anonymous whistleblower, a secret meeting occurred between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China. During this meeting, Russia and China agreed to a tit-for-tat deal in which Russia would drop their involvement in the DPRK under the condition that China backs away from Iran. Putin reportedly ended the meeting by ominously telling the Chinese cabinet that, “Russia’s always up north and Russia is always watching.”
As Western and Eastern powers begin to work with their allies, there will no doubt be major developments in and around the Islamic Republic of Iran. Rest assured, the New York Times will be there to report on them.
