Nuclear deal, a win-win pact

The nuclear agreement reached at Lausanne in Switzerland between Iran and the P-5+1 grouping of the UN Security Council’s permanent members and Germany last week is a commendable breakthrough in the long-running stalemate over Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons programme. The agreement imposes significant restrictions on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Among other things, Iran has agreed to reduce its current installed capacity for enriching uranium of 19,000 centrifuges to just over 6,000 and to rebuild its heavy water reactor at Arak in a way that production of weapons-grade plutonium will not be possible there. It has agreed to permit International Atomic Energy Agency monitors to conduct unannounced inspections not just of its key nuclear facilities but to the supply chain supporting its nuclear programme. In return, Iran will get significant relief from crippling economic sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations. A compromise seemed impossible even a week before the deal was sealed and that the two sides managed to reach an agreement – one that far exceeds expectations – is a laudable achievement.

While the agreement has been welcomed worldwide, Israel, and hawks in the US and Iran, have criticised the deal as giving away too much to the other side. Warmongers in these countries had, in fact, opposed a negotiated settlement to the problem. American hardliners, for instance, were in favour of military strikes on Iran. They argued that talking to Teheran was of no use as it understood only the language of force. The nuclear agreement proves them wrong; diplomacy and negotiations have yielded result and produced a win-win agreement. However, it is not a done deal yet. The Lausanne agreement is only a framework agreement. Several weeks of difficult negotiations on detailing the draft lie ahead. Still, a foundation is in place. The deal’s critics, such as US Republicans, will seek to derail it. They will find support in Israel, which has described the agreement as a “historic mistake,” and in Saudi Arabia, which fears the geo-political implications of a rising Iran.

The agreement has enormous potential. The lifting of sanctions could boost Iran’s economy, especially of its investment-strapped oil industry. For the US, besides the obvious gains that are to be had from restricting Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons, the agreement paves the way for improved relations with Tehran. Enhanced US-Iran co-operation on issues such as combating the Islamic State, for instance, can be expected. India too will heave a sigh of relief now as it can pursue full economic cooperation with Iran without worrying too much about ruffling feathers in Washington.