In what could be a stunning breakthrough in the years-long diplomatic deadlock over Iran’s nuclear program, Tehran has agreed to send the bulk of its nuclear material to Turkey as part of an exchange meant to ease international concerns about the Islamic Republic’s aims and provide fuel for an ailing medical reactor, the spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry told state television Monday morning…
But many questions remain about the new deal. Only a handful of countries, including France and Argentina, are said to have the capacity to create the specialized fuel plates for the Tehran medical reactor, built by the United States before Iran’s 1979 revolution.
The deal could also fall prey to factional battles within Iran’s domestic politics, where any sign of weakness in the face of Western powers is viewed as selling out the nation. And it could also be rejected by the Obama administration, which has shifted its tactics from diplomatic outreach to Iran toward a push for isolating the country by tightening sanctions.
