News Highlight
A new round of Nuclear talks on the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers has begun in Vienna.
Key Takeaways:
- The Iranian negotiating team met with the Russian delegation and the European Union’s representative in Vienna.
Iran Nuclear Deal
- The Iran Nuclear Deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), is an agreement on the Iranian nuclear program reached in Vienna in 2015.
- It was between Iran and the P5+1,
- The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council
- China
- France
- Russia
- The United Kingdom
- The United States
- Plus Germany
Goal of the Deal
The U.S. withdrawal
- In 2018, the United States officially withdrew from the agreement after the U.S. President signed a Presidential Memorandum ordering the reinstatement of sanctions.
Challenges of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA).
- Breaches by Iran.
- In 2019, Iran unilaterally announced it would no longer be bound by limits on heavy water and enriched uranium stockpiles.
- It is currently in violation of its important commitments, such as the limits on stockpiles of enriched uranium.
- Temporary nature of the deal:
- The sunset provision of the deal limits it to 2026, after which centrifuge restrictions and limits on the amount of low-enriched uranium Iran can possess will be lifted.
- Not accounting for Iran’s ballistic missile program:
- The deals fail to account for Iran’s ballistic missile program, which is a cause of worry for Iran’s neighbors.
- Inconsistent the US policy:
- Despite Iran’s verified compliance with the deal, the US unilaterally withdrew from the JCPoA in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Iran.
- The US’s unilateral exit has created a trust deficit among the other members of the agreement.
Significance of the deal for India
- Boosting regional connectivity:
- Removing sanctions may revive India’s interest in the Chabahar port, Bandar Abbas port and other plans for regional connectivity, which would help India to neutralise the Chinese presence in Gwadar port in Pakistan.
- Boost international connectivity:
- Apart from Chabahar, India’s interest in the International North South Transit Corridor (INSTC), which runs through Iran, will improve its connectivity with central Asian countries.
- Energy security:
- Due to the pressure linked to the CAATSA (The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act), India has brought down its oil imports from Iran to a meagre amount.
- The new deal may help India procure cheap Iranian oil and aid in energy security.
Pic Courtesy: The Hindu
Content Source: The Hindu