A nuclear-armed Iran would cause a regional arms race and make Tehran more isolated and vulnerable, according to a former Iranian negotiator, Reuters reported Wednesday, December 5. “Based on Iranian assessments, the possession of nuclear weapons would provide only a short-term regional advantage that would turn into a longer-term vulnerability,” former nuclear negotiator Hossein Mousavian said. “It would trigger a regional nuclear arms race, bringing Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia into the fold sooner or later.” He said Iran recognizes that if it were to become a nuclear weapons state Russia and China would join the United States and “implement devastating sanctions that would paralyze the Iranian economy.” Moscow and Beijing have backed a series of U.N. Security Council sanctions resolutions against Iran since 2006. But they have criticized tougher economic measures imposed by Washington and the European Union.