After the latest round of talks over Iran’s nuclear program this month, Europe’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton struck a cautious tone. “For the first time that I’ve seen, [there has been] a real back and forward between” Iranian and international negotiators, she told the press following this month’s talks in Kazakhstan. But, she stressed, the parties “remain far apart.” See also: The Iranian sanctions navigator The talks were the second round this year to discuss world powers’ concerns over Iran’s nuclear program. While Tehran claims its program is solely for peaceful purposes, the United States and European Union fear that the Islamic Republic is pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities. To stop the nuclear push, the US, EU and the United Nations have erected ever-stiffening economic sanctions in recent years. But there exists another layer of sanctions — primarily enacted by the US — with diverse aims: stopping alleged support for
Ben is a Beirut based investigative journalist. He served as Executive's resident data geek from 2013 to 2014, and as managing editor from 2014 to 2015.
