High Noon in the Middle East. The Danger of a major Middle East confligration if the Vienna Talks on the JCPOA (Iran Nuclear Deal) Fail. KGNU Hemispheres – Middle East Dialogues. April 27, 2021

High Noon in the Middle East. Again.

The Danger of a major Middle East confligration if the Vienna Talks on the JCPOA (Iran Nuclear Deal) Fail. KGNU Hemispheres – Middle East Dialogues. April 27, 2021. 6-7 pm Mountain States Time. Hosted by Jim Nelson with Ibrahim Kazerooni and Rob Prince. Available live by streaming at http://www.kgnu.org

High Noon in the Middle East…

We are a juncture in the juncture in the road, a moment when the paths toward peace or war hang in the balance. Will the United States and Iran normalize their relations and work together along with other parties, both regional and global to reduce Middle East tensions, or will the match be lit?

The United States and Iran are engaged in informal talks in Vienna. What does that mean? They are not speaking directly to one another – the sit in separate rooms while mediators pass notes to each of them in yet another effort to bridge the gap between the two countries that would result in the United States returning to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPCOA) known colloquially as the Iran Nuclear Deal.

Meanwhile, the Middle East is heating up… with tensions reaching historic levels. In fact, the region is a powder keg ready to explode with consequences no one can predict. It is an illusion to think resulting the violence, should it burst forth, be limited to some limited exchange between Israel and Iran.

Will the U.S. return to the JCPOA as it existed in 2016, that includes Washington’s dropping of sanctions against Iran – or will this round of talks, like those of the past, fail to bridge the gap and increase the possibility of a regional war?

These negotiations need to be understood within the new geopolitical realities taking shape through out the region.

That and more… Tune in.