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View all search resultsNew episode in Iran nuclear diplomacy
Iran has used the US withdrawal as an opportunity to increase its uranium enrichment capabilities to exceed the limit set by the JCPOA.
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J
oe Biden’s inauguration as the 46th President of the United States on Jan. 20 should mark the country’s return to multilateral diplomacy, like he promised in his election campaign.
The Trump administration mocked many multilateral agreements, including the Paris Agreement. The most controversial was Trump‘s decision to withdraw the US from the Iran nuclear agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The agreement is between Iran and six other countries: the US, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany, also known as “P5+1”. The deal restricts the enrichment level and stockpile of Iran's uranium in exchange for easing economic sanctions on the country.
The international community has warmly welcomed Biden's intention to rejoin the JCPOA. If his plan materializes, Iranian nuclear diplomacy will enter a new episode.
It is quite possible for Biden to renegotiate the JCPOA, but this will not be easy. The Iran nuclear issue goes beyond limiting Iran's capability to produce nuclear weapons.
More broadly, it is very much related to Iran’s geopolitical strategy in the Middle East. In this context, the Iran nuclear issue has become a scourge for the US and its Western and Arab allies. US concerns over Iran's nuclear capability were reflected in its diplomatic maneuvers at the United Nations in New York.
After withdrawing from the JCPOA in May 2018, the US assumed that it was no longer bound by the JCPOA or UN Security Council Resolution No. 2231, which endorsed the agreement. One of the resolution’s main points regulates an arms embargo on Iran until Oct. 18, 2020.
