Iran Nuclear Deal

What is the Iran Nuclear Deal?

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also referred to as the Iran nuclear deal was signed in Vienna, Austria on July 14th 2015. The nations in attendance at the conference were Iran, Germany, the the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council: China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States, and the European Union. The international agreement limits the ability of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of financial and international oil sanctions.Specifically, Iran will be limited in the type and quantity of centrifuges it will be allowed to install for the next 10 years. Iran also will have to limit their uranium enrichment levels to 3.67%. Most power  reactors in the West enrich uranium to 5% and Iran’s enrichment levels had been  up to 20%. (Peçanha and Broad 2015) They also agreed to cut the number of centrifuges used at one of their two enrichment plants in half, while the other one is to be used for research and development. The deal requires Iran to reduce its enriched uranium stockpile by 98% and limit its capacity for the next 15 years. There will be a level of “transparency” in place for the next 25 years and sanctions could be lifted in the next 5 to 8 years if Iran continues to progress. One main achievement of the JCPOA is that the amount of time it would take Iran to accumulate enough material to produce a nuclear weapon will be a minimum of one year.  Through following these guidelines, Iran also benefits from an improved reputation in the eyes of international community. The Iran nuclear deal states that “under no circumstances will [Iran] ever acquire nuclear weapons." (Botelho 2015) Where the conflict remains is in the difference between nuclear weaponry and nuclear power. Iran feels that it has the right to use nuclear fuel for civilian purposes, therefore world powers must respect the nuclear rights of Iran within international conventions.

Conca, J. (2015, March 26). We need to get this Iranian nuclear deal done. Forbes. Retrieved September 16, 2016 from Forbes, http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2015/03/26/we-need-to-get-this-iranian-nuclear-deal-passed/#37d4438590f8

What Historical Events Led to the Emergence of the Nuclear Deal? 

The U.S. has led international efforts to use sanctions to influence Iran’s policies since 1979. After the Iranian revolution, the United States imposed economic sanctions against Iran. Over the years, sanctions have taken a serious toll on Iran's economy and population.

• In 2002, two undeclared nuclear facilities in Iran the Arak heavy-water production facility and the Natanz enrichment facility were discovered.
• In 2003, Iran was forced into negotiations based on the discovery. Initially, the United States declined involvement, and the Tehran Declaration was established between Iran and the EU.
• In 2005, due to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad election as Iran’s president,  the agreements made with the EU fell apart. Iran declared to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) their intent to resume uranium conversion.
• In February 2006, Iran resumed work at the Natanz facility, and in April of the same year Iran announced that they possessed nuclear technology.
• In June 2006, China, Russia, and the United States joined the European Union’s efforts and passed a Security Council resolution ordering Iran to stop uranium enrichment and processing. Between 2006 and 2010, 6 subsequent resolutions relating to Iran’s nuclear program were passed.
• In 2013, after the election of Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, the new president requested the continuation of negotiations of the Iranian nuclear program.
• In September of 2013 the first direct contact between U.S. and Iranian leaders since 1979 took place when Obama and Rouhani had a phone conversation.
• In November 2013, the Joint Plan of Action was signed, consisting of the short-term stop of the nuclear program in Iran in exchange for decreased sanctions. Since then, talks have continued furthering negotiations of the deal.

In summary, the emergence of today’s most present agreement, the JCPOA, has been a long time coming.

The Historic Deal that Will Prevent Iran from Acquiring a Nuclear Weapon. Retrieved September 16, 2016, from The White House, https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/foreign-policy/iran-deal

Why is the Iran Nuclear Deal Worthy of Attention? 

One of the most pressing ideological results of World War II was the international understanding of the devastating potential of nuclear weapons, as seen in the U.S. attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The natural reaction to any nation possessing nuclear power should be one of extreme caution. However, when a nation such as Iran with a historical context full of oppressive governance and human rights abuses, accesses nuclear capabilities, it is not only a necessity to critically evaluate their right to nuclear weaponry, but furthermore to assess international security. Iran has historically acted suspicious regarding their nuclear power. For example, stating towards the international community that there position of the technology is there own and not "obligated to address them any further" ("IAEA: Iran Work Plan Progress Incomplete", 2008). Awareness of the threat of nuclear power is crucial when considering oneself to be an informed citizen in today’s world. The importance of this matter has been emphasized since The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was signed in 1970. Thereafter, nations honoring the treaty have valued the importance of advocating nuclear disarmament. Additionally, the Iran agreement is worthy of our attention because of the controversy embedded within it. Support of the agreement is based on the belief that international security and cooperation will be gained. However, there is also  criticism that by negotiating with Iran, the U.S is negotiating with a state that uses extremism and by interpretation, supports terrorism. A state that is not trustworthy. For example, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei has stated that Israel will cease to exist in the next decade due to extermination by Irani forces. Obama said that this deal is absolutely not built on trust. There will be a constant verification from the authorities of the US government. The main purpose of this deal is to prevent Iran from developing a potential nuclear bomb, even though the Iranian government ensured that its enriched uranium program is for civilian purposes. Due to the potential of the Iran nuclear deal to affect the entirety of the International community, it therefore demands global attention.

Sources Used:

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Botelho, G. (2015, July 14). What's in the Iran nuclear deal? CNN. Retrieved September 18, 2016 
http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/14/politics/iran-nuclear-deal-highlights/

Broad, W. J., & Peçanha, S. (2015, January 15). The Iran nuclear deal – A simple guide. New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2016 http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/03/31/world/middleeast/simple-guide-nuclear-talks-iran-us.html

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http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2015/03/26/we-need-to-get-this-iranian-nuclear-deal-passed/#37d4438590f8

Davenport, K. (2016, August 1). Timeline of Nuclear Diplomacy With Iran. Arms Control Association. Retrieved September 17, 2016
https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheet/Timeline-of-Nuclear-Diplomacy-With-Iran

Ernst, J. (2015, September 11). The danger of the Iran deal. CNN. Retrieved September 15th http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/10/opinions/ernst-iran-nuclear-deal/

Gibbons, R. (2014, April 17). Too Important To Fail. US News. Retrieved September 18, 2016 http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2014/04/17/the-iran-nuclear-deal-is-too-important-to-undermine

Gordon, M. R., & Sanger, D. E. (2015, July 14). Deal Reached on Iran Nuclear Program; Limits on Fuel Would Lessen With Time. New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2016 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/15/world/middleeast/iran-nuclear-deal-is-reached-after-long-negotiations.html?_r=0

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Vox (2015, July 15). How the Iran nuclear deal works, explained in 3 minutes. YouTube. Retrieved September 16th, 2016 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqvghou5m3U

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Authors:
Kate Zwigard, Ruben Eriksson, Kiana Hensen, Jacopo Benatti and Rio Rutledge