HAVE DONE THE SAME, BY THE WAY.
LET ME START HERE, GOT
INCREDIBLE WORD THAT WAS
RECEIVED WITHIN THE HOUR THAT
FRENCH PRESIDENT MANUEL MACRON
AND ROUHANI TO RESUME TALKS,
TALKS REGARDING IRAN NUCLEAR
DEAL.
WHAT DOES THIS DEVELOPMENT
SIGNAL TO YOU, JOHN.
>> CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE'VE
SEEN WITH EUROPE IN THE PAST,
THEY WANT TO SALVAGE THE JCPOA,
THE NUCLEAR DEAL, PRIVATE-SECTOR
COMPANIES HAVE KIND OF GONE THE
OTHER WAY, THAT'S UNDERREPORTED
STORY, IS THAT EVEN THOUGH
GOVERNMENTS MAYBE ADVOCATING IN
IRAN WITH PAYMENT SYSTEM SO FAR,
BIG EUROPEAN COMPANIES HAVE BEEN
PULLING OUT OF IRAN AND THE
EFFECT ON THE IRANIAN ECONOMY
HAS BEEN DEVASTATING, 37%
UNEMPLOYMENT, REAL LOST 80% OF
VALUE, 32% OF UNEMPLOYMENT, 25
AND 50, THAT'S SINCE INCEPTION
OF CURRENT REGIME HAS IRAN BEEN
UNDER THIS TYPE OF ECONOMIC
PRESSURE.
>> AND BEFORE THIS DEVELOPMENT,
IRAN WAS WILLING TO NEGOTIATE
ONLY IF THE U.S. LIFTS ECONOMIC
SANCTIONS, SHOULD PRESIDENT
TRUMP ON LIENL OR -- OBLIGE OR
IGNORE THAT REQUEST?
>> HE SHOULD IGNORE THAT.
LIFTING OF SANCTIONS, SANCTIONS
WILL NOT COME OFF FIRST, THEY
MAY COME AS PART OF BROADER DEAL
, MISSILE TECHNOLOGY AND
EXPORTING OF TERRORISM, FUNDING
EXTREMISM GROUPS AROUND THE
WORLD.
>> KNOW, BRITAIN IS CLAMPING
DOWN ON IRAN, BRITISH
AUTHORITIES HELPED SEIZED
IRANIAN SUPER TANKER WHICH WAS
SUSPECTED OF CARRYING CRUDE OIL
TO SYRIA WHICH YOU WELL KNOW IS
BREACH OF EU SANCTIONS, DOES
THIS STRENGTHEN U.S. LEVERAGE
NOW THAT IT'S IRAN AGAINST THE
WORLD AND NOT JUST IRAN AGAINST
THE U.S.?
>> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT, THAT'S
WHAT IRANIAN STRATEGY IS HERE IN
THIS CASE, ARTHEL, IT IS ABOUT
TRYING TO DECOUPLE THE UNITED
STATES FROM EUROPE, TO GET
SANCTIONS RELIEF FROM EUROPE, TO
GET -- BRING BACK FOREIGN
INVESTMENT AND TO -- TO
RESUSCITATE IRANIAN ECONOMY BUT
TO DO THAT CREATE DAYLIGHT
BETWEEN U.S. POLICY AND RIGHT
NOW EUROPEAN POLICY AND RIGHT
NOW LOOKS LIKE IT ISN'T WORKING
CERTAINLY WITH GREAT BRITAIN AND
MACRON HAS OPENED THE DOOR FOR
NEGOTIATIONS, IRANIANS WILL HAVE
TO DROP THE LIFTING OF
CONDITIONS TO THOSE CONDITIONS.
ARTHEL: HOW ARE RUSSIA AND CHINA
VIEWING THE DEVELOPMENTS?
>> WELL, RUSSIA CERTAINLY VIEWED
IRAN, IRAN WAS CERTAINLY HELPFUL
TO RUSSIA IN SYRIA, BUT ONE
WONDERS HOW HELPFUL THEY ARE
NOW.
IT'S TELLING THAT THE RUSSIANS
REFUSE IRAN THE S-400 MISSILE
SYSTEM.
CHINA IS A DIFFERENT STORY,
IMPORT 80% OF THE OIL FROM THE
MIDDLE EAST AND ALMOST ALL OF
THAT GOES THROUGH STRAITS OF
HORMUZ, IF THERE'S SPIKE IN OIL,
ANOTHER CHALLENGE TO ALREADY
STRUGGLING CHINESE ECONOMY, SO
THE CHINESE REALLY DON'T WANT
THIS TO ESCALATE BECAUSE IT
WOULD EXACERBATE SOME OF THE
ECONOMIC CHALLENGES.
ARTHEL: HEY, JON, DO YOU THINK
IT'S NECESSARY TO COMPLETELY
SCRAP THE 2016 IRAN NUCLEAR
DEAL?
>> YEAH, HERE IS KIND OF WHY,
IRAN WAS COMPLYING WITH IT, ONLY
DEALT WITH THE MISSILE MATERIAL,
CREATE WAR HEAD PART OF A
NUCLEAR BOMB, IT DID NOT IN ANY
WAY ADDRESS OR ARREST THE
IRANIAN MISSILE PROGRAM, THE
PARALLEL TECHNOLOGY OF DELIVERY
SYSTEM, HISTORICALLY COST
AMERICA THE SOVIET UNION, WAS
FAR MORE TECHNOLOGICALLY
CHALLENGING THAN DEVELOPING THE
BOMB, IRANIAN EFFORTS TO FORM
HEZBOLLAH, HAMAS, VARIOUS OTHER
GROUPS MAKING TROUBLE THROUGHOUT
THE MIDDLE EAST.
ARTHEL: 30 SECONDS ON THIS ONE F
THERE SHOULD BE A NEW DEAL, WHAT
DEAL POINTS SHOULD BE INCLUDED
IN THE IMPROVED NUCLEAR
AGREEMENT AND WOULD THE OTHER
SIGNATORIES JUMP BACK IN OR
AGREE WITH THE NEW DOCUMENT?
>> WELL, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW,
NOBODY IS SAYING REGIME CHANGE
IS A REQUIREMENT.
THE ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN VERY
CLEAR, IRAN WILL NOT DEVELOP A
NUCLEAR WEAPON AND ALSO MUST
SLOW DOWN -- MUST HALT ITS
MISSILE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, NO
REASON FOR THEM TO HAVE MISSILE
PROGRAM OTHER THAN TO STRIKE
U.S. OR ISRAEL, THAT WOULD NEED
TO STRIKE, JUST AS IMPORTANTLY
CASH OUTFLOWS FROM IRAN AND
VARIOUS TERROR GROUPS, WHETHER
IN YEMEN, HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH THAT
WOULD HAVE TO STOP TOO.
