Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi delivers a speech during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan September 17, 2021. REUTERS/Didor Sadulloev

As the world’s eyes are fixed on Russia’s war against Ukraine, negotiations on a return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal have reached a critical juncture. Russia’s representative to the ongoing negotiations, Mikhail Ulyanov, told Iranian state media that Tehran is liable to get “much more than it could expect” in the Vienna talks.

The US has reportedly agreed to lift sanctions on “some of the [Iranian] regime’s worst terrorists and torturers,” according to one report, as well as leading officials involved in the Islamic Republic’s production of weapons of mass destruction.

Ulyanov’s interview coincided with a visit to Iran by the UN’s nuclear chief, Rafael Grossi. It comes amid reports that Tehran has almost doubled its stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% purity. Meanwhile, Iran’s military unveiled two underground bases for launching attack drones and missiles.

Israel this week also disclosed that it had intercepted Iranian UAVs en route to Gaza Strip-based terrorist groups.

Iran’s campaign of expansionism and terror poses a threat to the entire Middle East — and beyond. Yet news outlets often singularly focus on Israel’s concerns. It’s time for the media to explore the magnitude of the Iranian threat to international peace and security.