The UN nuclear watchdog will host a meeting on Monday in Vienna between Iran, the United States, Russia and France to discuss details of sending Iran's low enriched uranium abroad for further processing and return to Tehran. The issue was agreed “in principle” between Iran and world powers in Geneva on Oct. 1. But Iranian authorities have so far shown no public hints of flexibility over Iran's nuclear row with the West. Following are some questions about Iran's possible intentions: Is Iran willing to reach a deal? The risk of harsher sanctions and the turbulent aftermath of Iran's June presidential election, have pushed Iran's hardline leadership to enter international nuclear talks. The talks about Iran's uranium enrichment activities will guarantee the clerical establishment's credibility at home to control the internal divisions exposed by the country's disputed presidential vote. Since the country's 1979 revolution, the clerical establishment has always used external crisis to unite people. “By entering talks, Iran wants to prevent tougher sanctions and wants to show Iranians it has international credibility,” said an analyst, who asked not to be named. The West suspects Iran's nuclear work is a front to build bombs. Iran denies this. “They have entered talks to prevent any consensus among big powers. Further sanctions may weaken the establishment domestically.” Iranian leaders announced the Geneva talks a victory but ever since top authorities have repeatedly said Iran would never suspend its uranium enrichment, a demand world powers insist on it. “In Vienna we will only talk about technical issues related to send our low enriched uranium abroad. Talking about a uranium enrichment freeze is not on our agenda,” a senior nuclear official told Reuters on Friday. Iranian nuclear officials say Iran has reached the “no return” point in its nuclear work and “it will be illogical for Iran to give up its achievements under pressure.” Will Iran compromise? Iran's hardline leadership was shaken by the vote unrest, but normality has returned to the streets after the mass rallies against the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The vote has further strained Iran's relations with the West, which Iran says was behind the unrest. Amid Iran's domestic political divides, the nuclear program is an ever needed tool to forge domestic unity. Ahmadinejad's moderate opponents have criticized his nuclear rhetoric but not the program itself. Suspension of uranium enrichment is a red line for Iranian authorities. But Iran says it is ready to further co-operate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and give it swift access to inspect its nuclear sites, including the newly disclosed nuclear enrichment site near Qom in central Iran. What does Iran want? Iran wants to prevent further sanctions by creating division among world powers. A senior security official told Reuters that the Geneva talks was just a start and “no specific agreement had been made”, suggesting Iran wants “talks for talks” to gain more time to further develop its nuclear program. Iran's establishment is struggling for legitimacy. By holding talks with world powers, Iranian hardliners will regain Iranians' support by defending the country's nuclear program against the United States and its European allies. Any compromise on enrichment, would be seen as a sign of weakness among the core supporters of the clerical establishment. Iran wants to be acknowledged by international community as a regional power, but has no intention to compromise over its nuclear program. Will sanctions harm Iranians? Iranian authorities have repeatedly said the three rounds of UN sanctions had no impact on the country. President Ahmadinejad insists that the West would suffer more if it imposed sanctions on Iran. Harsher sanctions may work in favor of hard-liners in the short term and unite the Iranian nation. But in the long term, it may outrage ordinary Iranians already suffering from high inflation and unemployment.
