The headlines in quotation is from the Economist article- So timely
The fire at the Iranian Port is still raging. Iran is still fighting it all these hours later- Injuries are over 750 with 14 dead. Scroll down for the latest news on the Iranian Port explosion and fire.
Economist via Archive.ph
Omani Embassy in Rome was the meeting place-
They met there for a second round of nuclear talks on April 19th. It ended with upbeat statements and a promise of a third encounter.
Mr Araghchi lauded the “relatively positive atmosphere”Donald Trump was more effusive, saying his administration had “very good meetings” on Iran (although he said the same about tariffs, Russia and Ukraine).
The two envoys’ next meeting was set for April 26th. (today)
Just as important are the “technical talks” meant to begin on the same day. Negotiating a nuclear deal is complex work; high-level envoys can do only so much. A meeting between experts means America and Iran are getting down to the details.
That is good—but it also means the easy part is over. America and Iran want to make a deal: that much is clear. They hope to improve on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the agreement signed in 2015 between Iran and seven world powers that Mr Trump ditched three years later. But the president will have to contend with three big hurdles.
Firstis dealing with hardliners in his own administration. Mr Witkoff has sentcontradictory messages about what America wants from a deal. In an interview with Fox News on April 14th he suggested that it would allow Iran to continue enriching uranium to 3.67%, much as the JCPOA did. The next day he reversed himself and said that Iran would have to “stop and eliminate” its enrichment programme.
The former goal is realistic; the latter is not. Mr Araghchi says a zero-enrichment deal is not up for discussion. Mr Witkoff’s about-face came under pressure from hawks in Washington unhappy that he had conceded on a key question so early.The second challengecomes from Iran. It wants a new deal to be both more lasting and more lucrative than the JCPOA. That means it will seek guarantees that Mr Trump (or a future president) will not ditch it again: for a start, it wants the agreement to be a Senate-confirmed treaty, which the JCPOA was not. That is not an ironclad guarantee, however. Treaties can be abrogated, and there is precedent for presidents abandoning them unilaterally.
Some Iranian officials favour a more provocative guarantee. They have spent the past few years amassing a big stockpile of enriched uranium and thousands of advanced centrifuges. They hope to keep some of both in Iran at a facility under UN supervision. If America abandons the deal again, Iran could pull them out of storage and rev up its nuclear programme. That would provide some leverage. For the same reason, though, America will be reluctant to agree to such terms.
Iran also wants economic assurances. It is not enough for a deal to lift sanctions; it must also offer the promise of tangible benefits. The JCPOA was disappointing in that regard. It allowed Iran to export more oil but failed to unlock much foreign direct investment (FDI). In 2016, the first full year after the deal was signed, Iran’s FDI inflows were just 0.7% of GDP, says the World Bank, a meagre increase from 0.5% in 2015.One way to solve this problem is to convince Gulf states to offer Iran trade and investment.
That points to Mr Trump’s third challenge: he needs the support of other countries. The Saudis seem willing to help. On April 17th Khalid bin Salman, the defence minister, made the highest-level Saudi visit to Iran since 1997. The kingdom is nervous about a war and eager for America to make a deal. Mr Trump plans to visit three Gulf countries next month, which will give him a chance to seek their aid.At the same time, he needs to manage Binyamin Netanyahu, who is sceptical of any deal and would prefer a military strike. The Israeli prime minister has visited Washington twice since Mr Trump’s inauguration in January. After their most recent phone call, on April 22nd, Mr Trump said the two were “on the same side of every issue”. For now the president seems willing to restrain Mr Netanyahu. If the talks drag on for months, that may get harder to do.
Iran, for its part, has settled on a canny strategy for dealing with Mr Trump: appealing to his business instincts. Mr Araghchi had been slated to speak on April 21st at a nuclear-policy conference organised by the Carnegie Endowment, an American think-tank. His speech was cancelled at the last minute, but he later posted it online, saying Iran wanted to build 19 nuclear reactors; American firms would be invited to bid. “Tens of billions of dollars in potential contracts are up for grabs,” he wrote. “The Iranian market alone is big enough to revitalise the struggling nuclear industry in the United States.”
There are only about 65 nuclear reactors being built around the world. The chance to build another 19 is a big prize. American companies might be reluctant to bid for the work. And a construction boom in Iran backed by us firms may seem bizarre. But all is possible in Trumpworld
Huge explosion in Iranian port wounds at least 516 people
An immense blast in Iran’s southern port of Shahid Rajaee has wounded at least 516 people, according to state media.
The cause of the explosion in the southern city of Bandar Abbas was unknown, with the director general of the province’s crisis management body saying it was working to determine the cause of the incident.
A local official told state TV that several containers exploded in the port, without mentioning what triggered the explosion.
State media also quoted Iranian security officials as saying “any speculation about the cause of the explosion is worthless”.
Videos showed a huge billowing mushroom cloud, with the force of the blast destroying a nearby building and shattering windows.
Injured people lay on the roadside while local hospitals handled an influx of hundreds of patients wounded in the blast.
Shahid Rajaee port is a large Iranian container facility which handles 80 million tonnes of goods per year and also deals with fuel tankers and refineries.
The explosion occurred as Iran and the US met for the third round of nuclear talks in Oman on Saturday, aiming to achieve a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme.
As previously mentioned, I'm not a coincidence theorist. Russia had the terror attack the other day as Steven Witkoff was set to visit. And Iran has a massive explosion at a port as Steven Witkoff is set to continue negotiations today. Both Iran and Russia being targets of US aggression.
Updating on the Port fire
Huge blast at key Iranian port kills 14 and injures more than 750
At least 14 people have been killed and 750 injured in a massive explosion at one of Iran’s key ports, authorities say.
The blast took place at Shahid Rajaee, the country’s largest commercial port, near the southern city of Bandar Abbas on Saturday morning.
It blew out windows and roofs of nearby buildings and destroyed cars. Residents reported feeling the impact of the blast up to 50km (31 miles) away.
Videos verified by the BBC show a fire growing in intensity before a huge explosion, with people subsequently fleeing the blast and others lying wounded on roads surrounded by smoking debris.
Does anyone recall the Beirut, Lebanon Port blast 2020?- Yah, that was devastating