The USA, the UK, France, the PRC, Russia, Germany and the EU reached a historic agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran on 14 July 2015 after a marathon of diplomatic discussions which lasted 18 days in Vienna.
According to the agreement strict limits shall be imposed upon Tehran’s nuclear programme in return for ending sanctions on its economy. The deal is the zenith of years of delicate diplomacy pursued by US President Barack Obama despite admonitions that an agreement could strengthen Iran’s Islamist regime and leave it dangerously close to a nuclear bomb.
Historic Nuclear Deal with Iran. Picture by Österreichisches Aussenministerium.
Yet the text explicitly states that Iran commits itself to “under no circumstances” shall it ever “seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons.” And it describes a joint commission composed of its seven parties to monitor the deal’s implementation.
Moreover Iran must permit inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) broad access to suspected nuclear sites, as well as cooperate with an IAEA investigation into its past activities, albeit many crucial details have yet to be released, or may remain classified.On an issue that snagged the talks in their final days, the deal shall free Iran from an arms embargo after five years.
US State Secretary Kerry – Picture by US Embassy in Austria.
The US broke off diplomatic relations with Iran after the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and capture of the US American Embassy in Tehran, has long used sanctions and other tools to punish Iran for its demeanour. In recent years the sanctions vice tightened considerably as Russia and the PRC backed harsh UN measures, the US Congress targeted Iran’s financial sector, and the Obama administration persuaded growing economies such India and South Korea to agree to sharply limit their consumption of Iranian oil. US sanctions threatening to punish foreign financial institutions for doing business with Iran landed a particularly painful blow.
Thus far the the agreement with Iran to be valid in the USA it must be approve by Congress which officially must lift up the sanctions imposed against Iran. Hitherto President Obama enjoys the support of enough senators but the actual vote shall not take place until mid-September.
In Brussels negotations with the EU were organised by Iranian ambassador to the EU, Mahmoud Barimani.
