Name? Ali Bagheri
Westphalian identity? Iranian
Age? 54
Why is he in the news? After the election of a new hardline government in Iran, hopes for the revival of a new JCPOA died down for the past five months. With Ali Bagheri’s visit to Brussels yesterday, it appears that Iran will return to the negotiating table this November.
Why do we care? There are a couple of reasons why Bagheri returns to the negotiation table. The growing economic crisis, largely due to the sanctions, is increasing pressure on the newly elected government to ease the dire situation of the Iranian population. And, perhaps a bigger reason, Putin’s Russia is becoming increasingly annoyed and impatient with Iran.
Why should you care? The usual, decreasing hostilities between the West and Iran does not harm any of you. At the same time, there is no real threat of an Iranian nuclear attack on anyone. Iran sees the development of nuclear capabilities rather as pressure for Bagheri’s negotiations and means of survival than a viable military option. Therefore, you should only care 4/10 about this ongoing saga.
Who else cares? Amir Lazar the chief of Israeli Air Force operations. Israel just held the Blue Flag exercises together with its allies and even the UAE. This exercise aims to generate and show readiness for an Iranian drone attack; a scenario even more imminent as Iran is exporting their drones to its network of militias in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
Any further comments? The Israeli-Iranian tit for tat has been going on for years now. While the West mainly focused on a diplomatic solution, it is no secret that Israel is not afraid to take matters into its own hands. Two days ago, a cyberattack paralysed all of Iran’s gas stations. An attack that certainly carries Israel’s signature as these stations are an important tool in the Ayatollah’s attempt to calm the population with subsidised oil.
