Nuclear Deal

The deaths of Iran's president and foreign minister in a helicopter crash have caused a pause in the UN nuclear watchdog's talks with Tehran.

Before April 13, observers knew that the Islamic Republic promoted low-grade terrorism in wild and unpredictable ways, but they also knew Tehran avoided large-scale conflicts – carefully.

"When producing a nuclear bomb, you make a device where the chain reaction is not controlled, so it is much easier. The important point is that our nuclear capabilities are high.”

This sabotage operation is not the first one carried out at Iranian nuclear facilities.

This round of the Assembly of Experts is expected to select the next Supreme Leader, given that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is nearly 85 and has been sick repeatedly.

Russia's top lawmaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, then said the State Duma lower house of parliament would swiftly consider if there was a need to take such action.

The developments came as somewhat of a surprise given the clear progress that has been made between the West and Iran in recent weeks.

It would seem that the West and the Islamic Republic are creeping toward a variety of informal understandings resembling a new nuclear deal.

China seeks to help facilitate a wave of reconciliation across the Middle East. Its efforts, however, may help Iran progress toward acquiring a nuclear weapon.

"We have always wanted a return of all parties to full compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal," the country's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told reporters.