The global powers and Iran reached a historic agreement, JCPOA, in 2015 regarding Tehran’s nuclear program to limit it significantly in exchange for relief in sanctions. The program was in implementation till 2108 when Trump withdrew from the agreement, following which Iran ramped up its nuclear program. Joe Biden soon after becoming the president wanted the deal back on track, which the European Union facilitated.
Iran and several world powers, including the United States, signed the historic Iran nuclear agreement known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015. This agreement placed significant limitations on Iran’s nuclear program, including extensive international inspection of its program, in exchange for relief in sanctions placed upon Iran by the western powers to limit its capability to carry out the nuclear program. The agreement was a positive development to avoid any regional catastrophe with its rivals. However, in 2018, President Trump backed off from the agreement citing that the deal has failed to curtail Iran’s nuclear program and its regional influence, and thus placed significant sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran ignored the limitations and ramped up its nuclear capabilities. Joe Biden, after resuming the office in early 2021, has expressed his stance to get the program back on track does Iran get back to compliance of the terms.
After talks that lasted more than a year, coordinated by the European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, the bloc submitted a final proposed text to Iran. Iran responded to the text in which they largely agreed to the proposals drawn by the EU. An Iranian diplomat confirmed the same: “the European Union’s proposals are acceptable provided that they provide assurances to Iran on various points, related to sanctions and safeguards. The United States has expressed flexibility on two of them verbally but that needs to be incorporated into the text, and the third issue has to do with a guarantee that the deal will be lasting, and that depends on realism from the United States to reassure Iran.” Josep Borrel later said that Iran has agreed to the text, but they want some adjustments to it.
After studying Iran’s response, the Untied States has communicated its reply to the EU. The deal, initially agreed to in 2015 and called as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), will be carried out in four phases of 60-day periods. Sanctions on 150 economic institutions and 17 Iranian banks will be lifted the day after the agreement is signed, allowing for the release of billions of dollars in blocked Iranian funds and oil exports. Tehran will immediately start rolling back the nuclear technological advancements it has made, which go beyond what the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, deems acceptable.
Iran has, however, dropped its demand to end the blacklisting of their Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization from the discussions and this will be taken up later separately. This points to the fact that there is optimism around the agreement. The potential for an agreement, that might result in the removal of US sanctions on Iran’s daily oil production of 2.5 million barrels, has already contributed to a drop in pricing on international markets.
On the other hand, the biggest ally the United States have in the form of Israel, is not happy with the developments and the prime minister has termed it as: “the current deal is a bad deal,” Israeli defence minister, Benny Gantz, said in a tweet before his visit to the U.S. that the trip is intended to, “send a clear message in regard to the negotiations between Iran and powers on the nuclear deal: A deal that does not knock Iran’s abilities back by years and does not restrain it for years ahead, is a deal that will harm global and regional security.” There are also reports from Israel of the U.S. assurance that they won’t lift up concessions on the companies linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran. Israel has long opposed that deal based on the argument that Iran is building nuclear bomb, while Iran denies it. Israel also has concerns related to the enriching Uranium levels of Iranian nuclear program, which are claimed to the beyond the acceptable level, and thus it feels threatened. The Israeli Prime minister has visited Washington to present its stance and to incorporate its concerns into the agreement.
Iran on the other hand is not ready to give any space further than it agreed to in 2015. Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, Mohammad Eslami, said in a video message that, “We are committed to inspections in the framework of the nuclear deal that are linked to nuclear restrictions which we have accepted in the past… Not one word more, not one word less,” A website, Nour news, associated with Tehran’s national security body said on twitter, “The Americans are seeking to suggest that Iran has retreated in the talks but… it was Washington that had left the nuclear deal and it is the US government that has retreated to its previous positions if it returns to the accord,”. This statement is reflective of Iran’s economic, political, and geo-strategic shift in the region where it is collaborating with the regional powers of Russia and China and are thus negotiating from a much-improved position than that of 2015. The deal will further ease economic tensions for Iran and its people who have suffered long enough from these unjust and hegemonic sanctions.
