Figure 1: The United Nations Office at Geneva, Switzerland. Source: Unsplash
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, is a detailed 159-page landmark agreement with five annexes reached between Iran and the P5 + 1 on 14 July 2015 in Vienna [1]. Considered to be one of the top diplomatic achievements of former US President Barack Obama, this historical breakthrough came after months of negotiations, and it was not achieved without great controversy within the U.S., Iran and the rest of the world.
The international agreement aims essentially at limiting Iran’s ability to produce nuclear arms while ensuring that nuclear power usage is restricted to civilian use only. In exchange, the US entirely removed sanctions imposed on foreign firms that conduct transactions in all of Iran’s core economic sectors, including energy, banking, shipping, and manufacturing. These included sanctions placed on foreign banks’ transactions with Iran’s Central Bank, the withdrawal of which would give the country its desperately needed chance for new investments.
The European Union’s (EU) powers most significant interest in the deal was to unwind Iran’s nuclear program to the point if Tehran decided to pursue the development of a nuclear weapon, it would take at least one year to do so, giving world powers time to respond appropriately. The possible possession of such a weapon by Iran would undermine non-proliferation efforts and would most likely prompt other powerful Middle Eastern states to follow similar nuclear activities. Furthermore, the high destabilizing environment of the Middle East, as well as, the fear of escalating conflicts between the states of the region over nuclear technology make this agreement extremely important for maintaining world peace.
Figure 2. The agreement opens the door for cooperation with Iran on important regional issues. Source: Pexels.
The commitments set out in the JCPOA mostly bind the Iranian side. The agreement essentially lays down conditions which ensure that Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Arak are under restriction so that they cannot deliver any weapon-grade plutonium, fabricate extra substantial water reactors or collect massive supplies of water, necessary for the function of a nuclear reactor until 2031. Iran is also required to permit the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to conduct regular screenings on its proclaimed atomic locales [2].
Figure 3. Nuclear Power Plant. Source: Unsplash.
The nuclear deal was approved by the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, adopted on 20 July 2015. After the announcement of the comprehensive deal, all parties involved gradually began to take steps towards fulfilling the commitments of the agreement and Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA’s nuclear energy provisions was verified by the IAEA. In October 2025, the Termination Day of the agreement is scheduled to take place, which will signal the completion of Resolution 2231 and the closure of Iran’s nuclear file by the Security Council.
Despite Iran’s verified compliance to the rules, the United States announced its unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA on 8 May 2018, proceeding to re-impose all nuclear-related economic sanctions against the Iranian regime. The US withdrawal is considered by many, as one of the biggest and most controversial foreign policy decisions former US President Donald Trump has ever made. One year later, on 8 May 2019, Iran gradually began a series of violations of the agreement, by announcing it would no longer be bound by limits on heavy water and enriched uranium stockpiles, thus ignoring the direct restrictions imposed by the JCPOA. It is important to note that many of Iran's violations come in retaliation for US’ strategic moves, such as the multiple assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists. Tensions between the United States and Iran reached a boiling point in early 2020 with the assassination of Iran's top military leader, Qassem Soleimani, sparking fears of war.
Figure 4. US President Joe Biden makes the restoring of the Iran Nuclear Deal a top foreign policy priority. Source: Unsplash.
The Iran Nuclear Deal made headlines across the globe as a landmark historical agreement between extreme opponents. If implemented successfully, the deal is believed to be a win-win solution, as it serves the national security interests of the United States, the world community and the Middle East. Even though it will not be an easy process, Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 US Presidential Election raises hopes for future diplomatic relations with Iran, since the President has consistently expressed a desire to return to the 2015 nuclear deal. According to Biden, in an op-ed for CNN, as a starting point to later negotiations, the United States would rejoin the agreement if Iran was willing to strictly comply with the nuclear agreement.
[1] The P5+1 refers to a group of countries which includes the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council; namely China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States (the P5) and Germany (+1). The countries have been working together toward an Iran nuclear deal since 2006 and since 2015 under the JCPOA.
[2]The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons.
Comments