Seven days before the opening of the next round of Iran nuclear talks, the pressure is on, as the media spins every trickle of information leaked about Iran. Troubled by a possible deal between Iran and the world powers, Israel views the talks, set to take place on May 23 in Baghdad, with some bitterness, perhaps even with hopes that they will fail completely.

The leak concerning the facilities for nuclear fuse testing at the Parchin military base, published by the Associated Press on Sunday, added to the tension surrounding negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program between the six powers – the U.S., Russia, China, France, Germany, Britain – and the Islamic Republic..

The interest behind leaking the information could belong to one of the powers who wishes to push Iran further into a corner and force the Islamic Republic into making more concessions in the negotiations.

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Alternatively, the leak could benefit Israel, as Israel tries to make it clear to the world powers that only partial demands on Iran will not put a stop to the county’s military nuclear program.

Added to all of the leaks of information about Parchin was a message from the Iranian opposition group, People’s Mujahedin of Iran, which was issued over the weekend. The organization, which was first to uncover Iran’s Natanz facility in 2002 and has connections with various western intelligence organizations, released a statement claiming that 60 Iranian nuclear scientists are working as part of a secret Iranian Defense Ministry unit, charged solely with the task of producing a nuclear bomb.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

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