Before we all went home for Thanksgiving, something happened that we really all should be thankful for: On November 23, Iran signed a deal agreeing to halt or scale back parts of their nuclear program.
Earlier this year Iran elected a new president, Hassan Rouhani, opening the door for diplomatic talks, which the Obama administration was thankful for because the Iranian nuclear program has been at the top of foreign policy priorities.
For the first time in more than a decade, Iran’s nuclear program in Tehran has been halted. The goal of the agreement is to prevent Iran from creating a nuclear weapon and to promote peace worldwide. The agreement is based on a list of limitations to keep Iran in check, including:
- Halting levels of uranium enrichment and neutralizing part of its stockpiles
- Prohibiting use of next generation centrifuges (used for enriching uranium)
- Prohibiting installation/start-up of new centrifuges
- Halting work at it’s plutonium reactor
- New inspections to provide extensive access to Iran’s nuclear facilities
- Allowing the international community to check-in how how Iran is keeping its commitments
The goal of these limitations is to prevent Iran from creating a nuclear weapon by cutting off its most likely paths to getting there. In exchange for their cooperation, the U.S. has promised to not impose new sanctions on Iran and will allow Iran access to a portion of the revenue that they have been denied because of these sanctions. This is a great incentive for Iran because it will provide them with a moderate level of economic relief.
Right now Iran is essentially under a six month trial period, during which Iran will have to rebuild a relationship of trust with the United States and prove to the world that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes (such as nuclear energy). Should Iran not be able to meet its commitments during this six month period, the U.S. will decrease its economic relief and encourage increased isolation of Iran. The Obama administration remains optimistic however, that these next six months will allow enough time for a comprehensive and peaceful settlement to be reached regarding how Iran will dismantle those elements of its nuclear program.