Any new deal with Iran must focus on five priorities
European powers have been pushing to chart a path toward a new deal that would de-escalate tensions between the Islamic Republic and the US, which have reached their highest level since 1979.
To reach any new and effective deal, the US has to be involved because of its influence in the global financial system and its geopolitical power. That is why European leaders have been attempting to bring the American and Iranian leaders back to the negotiating table. This begs the question that, if a new deal was to be struck with Tehran, what terms should it include? Any new deal with the Iranian leaders must be built around five core pillars.
First of all, the priority ought to be halting the Iranian regime’s ability to manufacture a nuclear weapon — permanently. One of the deficiencies of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), aka the Iran nuclear deal, was that it had a time limit. In the world of geopolitics, 10 or 15-year agreements are considered very brief.
Therefore, a new nuclear deal should have no expiration date. The sunset clause was the most crucial victory that Iran scored in the 2015 nuclear agreement. It allowed the Islamic Republic to — on the day the deal lapsed — resume enriching uranium to any level it desires, spin as many advanced centrifuges as it wants, make its reactors fully operational, build new heavy water reactors, produce as much fuel for its reactors as it desires, and maintain higher uranium enrichment capability.
The second priority of any new Iran deal should be the inspection of Iran’s military sites. The weaponization dimension of Iran’s nuclear program, about which the JCPOA said almost nothing, should be fully addressed. For example, the Parchin military site, which is reportedly the main location where Iran conducts nuclear research and development, is out of the reach of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspectors under the 2015 deal.
The third pillar is that Iran’s ballistic missile program should be restricted. The deal must dictate that the UN Security Council will impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic if it continues to test ballistic missiles. The deal can invoke UN resolution 2231, which calls on Iran not to “undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology.”
Fourth, the nuclear agreement must positively contribute to Middle East peace and security by containing Iran’s pursuit of regional supremacy. The JCPOA increased Iran’s military influence, expansion and interventions across the region, including in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
Finally, if the US is going to strike a new deal with Tehran, it should not forget the Iranian people. Any deals with the Iranian leaders must be contingent on the improvement of the human rights situation, freedoms of speech, press and assembly, as well as a full moratorium on the death penalty, including the execution of children.
In summary, any new deal with the Iranian regime must permanently limit its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, address its military adventurism in the region, and hold the Iranian leaders accountable for human rights violations inside the country and abroad.