Make A Deal Or Become The Deal, Ex-Diplomat Warns Iran’s Leaders

Radio Farda-Feb28th2025

By: Kian Sharifi

What You Need To Know

• Former Diplomat Urges Iran To Make A Deal With U.S.: Ali Majedi, a former ambassador to Germany, has warned Iran that if it fails to make a deal with the United States, it will likely find itself used as a bargaining chip in a potential deal between Washington, European powers, and Moscow. This comes as the growing likelihood of a U.S.-Russian rapprochement has fueled concerns in Tehran that Moscow might abandon Iran in favor of a good deal with the Donald Trump administration.

• Tehran Speeds Up Production Of Near Weapons-Grade Uranium: In its confidential quarterly report, which was seen by news agencies this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Tehran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity had increased by 92.5 kilograms to 274.8 kilograms. The IAEA described the significant increase as a “serious concern.” Experts say Iran is a short, technical step away from enriching uranium to 90 percent, which is considered weapons-grade level.

• Iranian Exiles Sue Ex-Shah’s “Chief Torturer”: Three Iranian exiles have filed a $225 million lawsuit against Parviz Sabeti in a U.S. federal court, alleging years of torture by the former high-ranking security official under the shah. In the 1970s, Sabeti served as deputy head of SAVAK, the notorious security and intelligence agency of Iran’s last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The plaintiffs claim Sabeti played a key role in institutionalizing torture in Iran, setting the stage for the coercive interrogation methods later adopted by the Islamic republic

Negotiating With U.S. ‘Inevitable’

With the return of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” policy and Tehran’s continued refusal to negotiate with Washington, Iran finds itself in a difficult spot.

Its economy is in poor shape, living costs are going up, and the United States is tightening the noose on Iran’s oil exports.

Majedi, a former Iranian diplomat, said in an op-ed on February 22 that the situation would only get worse for Tehran the longer it waited to directly engage the United States. Otherwise, Iran could be used as a bargaining chip in Washington’s dealings with not only Moscow but also European powers.

He warned that, if Iran fails to persuade Britain, France, and Germany (the E3) that reimposing UN sanctions on Tehran would be unproductive, the E3 might cooperate with Trump to reinstate UN sanctions on Iran in exchange for concessions on his stance regarding the Ukraine war.

“What is certain is that if we don’t negotiate, others will negotiate about us and will make deals over our interests,” he wrote. “Negotiating with America is ultimately inevitable.”

Why It Matters: UN sanctions against Iran were lifted under the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, which imposed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program