The actions of the Iranian security forces, who are brutally cracking down on protests against the repressive system, raise the question: should negotiations continue with this regime on the nuclear deal? Saskia Esken says: No. But the SPD leader receives objection – from her own party.
In view of the brutal repression of anti-government protests in Iran, SPD leader Saskia Esken is calling for talks on a nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic to end. Now the moment has come to say: up to here and no further, she said on the ZDF program “Berlin direkt”. Just as action is being taken against the demonstrating women and men on the streets, “the talks must end”.
The US, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany are negotiating with Iran to restore the 2015 nuclear deal designed to prevent the country from building a nuclear bomb. It has been on hold since the United States left in 2018. The US government recently said it saw no chance of reviving the agreement “in the near future”.
SPD foreign policy expert Nils Schmidt also told ZDF that breaking off the talks had nothing to do with responsible foreign policy. For example, an Iran with nuclear weapons would directly endanger Israel’s security and threaten regional stability. In addition, an arms race would have to be feared.
FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai said in the ZDF program “Berlin direkt” that nuclear negotiations with Iran currently make no sense. Djir-Sarai therefore spoke out in favor of a “suspension”. One cannot currently negotiate with a regime that has no legitimacy among the population. The foreign ministers of the EU states will discuss developments in Iran this Monday (9.30 a.m.) in Luxembourg. New EU sanctions are planned as a reaction. According to diplomats, they should meet people and organizations who are held responsible for the recent suppression of protests.
Iranian security forces had recently taken brutal action against people who were demonstrating across the country against the government’s repressive course, the headscarf requirement and the system of government. The protests were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The young woman died on September 16 under unclear circumstances after being arrested by the vice squad because of her alleged “un-Islamic outfit”. Critics accuse the morality police of using violence. The police firmly deny the allegations.
Tehran blames the US for the ongoing mass protests. President Ebrahim Raisi accused US President Joe Biden of inciting “chaos, terror and destruction”. Biden had pledged his solidarity with the participants in the mass protests on Friday.
“The enemy’s plot must be countered with effective measures to solve people’s problems,” Raisi said. He also referred to the words of the republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who described the USA as “Satan”. Demonstrations were reported from Tehran, Hamedan, Isfahan, Kermanshah and Ardabil, among others, on Saturday.
