TEHRAN(Bazaar) – Professor Frank N. von Hippel, former assistant director for national security in the White House Office of Science and Technology, says “If I were Biden, I would encourage the ongoing negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, but I worry that the plan may be to strengthen US security guarantees to Israel and Saudi Arabia.”

Following is the text of the Bazaar interview with Professor Frank N. von Hippel.

Bazaar: While it was said that the American policy regarding the Persian Gulf has changed due to the containment of China, we are witnessing the importance of the region’s oil after the war in Ukraine. Do you agree with this argument?

Frank von Hippel: Yes, I agree.

Bazaar: Biden's trip to the region is an attempt to find a way to reduce oil prices with Saudi’s help. Will this happen?

Frank von Hippel: I think that is part of the reason for Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia, but I don’t know how much Saudi Arabia and the UAE can increase their outputs. They are already producing at near-record levels.

Bazaar: The United States is trying to encourage Saudi Arabia to stage a coup against Russia by withdrawing from the OPEC+ agreement and subsequently increasing oil production to improve its price in Western countries. Is this happening?

Frank von Hippel: I suspect that that is not within Saudi Arabia’s capacity.

Bazaar: What effect will Biden's trip to the region has on nuclear negotiations with Iran?

Frank von Hippel: This is an important question. If I were Biden, I would encourage the ongoing negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, but I worry that the plan may be to strengthen US security guarantees to Israel and Saudi Arabia. I worry about what this means in a context where the Biden Administration appears to be losing hope for a revival of the JCPOA and Iran is building up its stock of weapon-usable highly enriched uranium.