Issue Brief on “Revival of JCPOA? Opportunities and Challenges for the International Nuclear Arms Control Architecture”

1450

The debate of the revival of the Iran nuclear deal is once again making rounds in the international nuclear arms control and disarmament circles. The incumbent Biden administration is willing to revive the diplomatic norms once cherished by the White House giving a ray of light for the revival of the deal between Washington and Tehran. The continuation of the deal would not only rehabilitate the international arms control architecture but also reinstate the credibility of international institutions.

During his first major foreign policy speech at the State Department, President Joe Biden stated that “America is back, diplomacy is back at the centre of the US foreign policy.”[1] The statement signalled reversal from his predecessor’s approach and emphasised rejuvenating the US relationship with its allies, re-entering the abandoned agreements and rehabilitating the diplomatic norms which were once cherished by the US.[2] President Biden hinted that the US is willing to lift sanctions over Iran and will rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) conditioned that Iran must firstly revert to the limitations imposed under the deal.[3] President Biden had also expressed the same approach during his election campaign that he would try to mend the reckless decisions of the Trump administration and join the Iran nuclear deal as a starting point for follow-on negotiations.[4]

Read More