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Josie Williams

Prof. Pettay

ENG 111, 2B

10 Dec. 2021

Deal or No Deal: The International Issue in the Iran Nuclear Deal

In a recent Cable News Network article, national security reporters Nicole Gauotte and

Kylie Atwood discuss the United States and the Republic of Iran’s meeting next week to

renegotiate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, or Iran Nuclear Deal). The article

“Iran nuclear talks to restart as US emphasizes it's 'prepared to use other options' if diplomacy

fails,” describes some key points of negotiation in the deal, and if these meetings cannot find a

mutual agreement, the U.S. is prepared to consider alternative options. After World War II, 191

countries united to ratify the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. This treaty

ensures cooperation in the peaceful usage of nuclear energy and that no one escalates weapons of

mass destruction. However, some countries continue to develop nuclear weapons in secret.

Global actors must come to a compromise on nuclear disarmament and prevent future nuclear

catastrophes. Despite the imminent threat of nuclear proliferation, the United States and the

Islamic Republic of Iran should not renegotiate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action because

it exacerbates Iranian imperialist control in the Middle East and jeopardizes crucial international

relations and treaties that are vital to prevent nuclear catastrophes.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action gives Iran more power and funding to further

control innocent civilians and countries in the Middle East. According to Robert Einhorn and

Richard Nephew (qtd. in Davenport) of The Brookings Institution, a nonprofit think tank that

conducts high-quality research and recommends policy solutions, “the JCPOA… could actually
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exacerbate them [Iran’s behavior]—by releasing to Iran tens of billions of dollars in frozen

assets, ending Tehran’s international isolation, and strengthening its economic capacity to

upgrade its military and… regional influence.” Passing the deal will only further Iran’s control

and enable them to expand their military power and international presence. It perpetuates the

persecution of millions by Tehran’s oppressive regime. When the deal gives Iran more cash to

use, it places lethal military devices in their hands. By unleashing Iran’s frozen assets, it also

benefits their political objectives. The Iran Nuclear Deal is written in which “Iran has got what it

wanted all along—sanctions relief and political status in the region—by relenting on some

nuclear issues which they never really intended to stick up for anyway” (Norell). The

“compromises” in the Iran Nuclear Deal significantly benefit Iran and in turn, the terrorist groups

they sponsor: Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. These groups should not have any leeway

with an international deal that promises peace and stability. The United States should not ratify

the Iran Nuclear Deal because it will worsen the situation in the Arabian Peninsula by enabling

Iran’s imperialist objectives. Further, not only will the deal exacerbate issues in the Middle East,

it will also press issues in global politics and relations.

The Iran Nuclear Deal threatens global peace as it damages key international relations

and treaties that prevent disastrous nuclear weapon events. The JCPOA compromises with Iran

by permitting them to continue to research and develop nuclear weapons under international

supervision. Although this may seem like a fair settlement that avoids future conflicts, instead, “a

nuclear-armed Iran would severely threaten the security and stability of a part of the world

crucial to our interests and to the health of the global economy” (Sebenius and Singh). The Joint

Comprehensive Plan of Action puts weapons of mass destruction in the hands of a country under

the United States “State Sponsors of Terrorism” list. This is no compromise and these
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implications are far beyond US borders. Terrorist groups with nuclear weapons will continue to

threaten other countries in the Middle East and the millions of innocent families in them. In

addition to harming individual countries in the East, the deal will also harm a crucial

international agreement. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is signed by most of the world

and focuses on denuclearization and in the future, complete disarmament. As explained by The

International Spector, an Italian Journal of International Affairs, “ a nuclear arms race in the

Middle East would deal a perhaps fatal blow to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), a

pillar of international security to which all countries in the region (with the exception of Israel)

are parties.” The Iran Nuclear deal is a free pass for the Islamic Republic to produce nuclear

weapons. This directly contrasts with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which was a

monumental historical agreement to prevent future nuclear attacks. Contradicting such an

agreement is not only a betrayal to a promise for peace, a nuclear-free world, but it “would

seriously undermine the credibility of the United Nations and other international institutions, and

seriously weaken the nuclear nonproliferation regime at precisely the moment when we are

seeking to strengthen it” (Sebenius and Singh). Global stability is at stake. International

agreements and agencies have played a critical role in ensuring no country overthrows another,

but the JCPOA will eradicate progress made by stabbing in the back the Nuclear

Non-Proliferation Treaty. However, some may disagree with this idea because they find that the

deal can be effective in keeping nuclear weapons out of Iran’s control.

There are those who believe that the Iran Nuclear Deal plays a vital role in preventing the

Republic from developing its nuclear program. The Council on Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan

and nonprofit think tank organization concurs “the deal… would help prevent a revival of Iran’s

nuclear weapons program and thereby reduce the prospects for conflict between Iran and its
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regional rivals.” This perspective agrees that the denuclearization of Iran is a global priority, but

suggests that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action provides a solution. While many hold onto

this idea, it fails to take into account how the Iran Nuclear Deal may encourage the Republic’s

program and in fact, benefit their production of weapons of mass destruction. Thomas Juneau, an

associate professor at the University of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International

Affairs clarifies, “The JCPOA undeniably benefits Iran by progressively lifting most UN

sanctions and some sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies … [and] also marks a

certain reintegration of Iran into the international community by legitimizing its peaceful nuclear

aspirations.” Since the deal permits Iran to develop nuclear weapons under supervision, this, in

turn, validates their program as acceptable or benign to the international community. It treats one

of the most dangerous countries with camaraderie and places Iran side by side with other

peaceful nations that produce nuclear weapons. In addition, the deal also lifts many U.S. and

U.N. sanctions, freeing up money that Iran can use to research and develop nuclear energy. The

Iran Nuclear Deal will only worsen instability in the East and nuclear proliferation that countries

across the globe are trying to solve.

For a country that shouts “Death to America,” there should be no leeway in allowing

them to harbor a nuclear weapons program. During next week's meetings, the U.S. and Iran

should not reconstruct the JCPOA because it supports Iran’s acts of terror to their neighboring

countries and imperils vital international relations and peace. The Iran Nuclear Deal is not a deal,

it is a “get out of jail free card” for Iran to continue to be the most lethal state-sponsored terrorist

country in the world. Peace in the Middle East is a long-term goal for every country, but the

JCPOA turns this into a blanketed promise, rather than enacted policy. With the advent of

technology, warfare is becoming more extensive and deadly than ever before. Now, a single press
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of a button can kill millions of innocent civilians. International agreements play an essential role

in ensuring no single country can have unlimited control over others. It’s time to forget the

politics and protect the people. A nuke-free world is a safe world for all, and the Iran Nuclear

Deal puts nukes in the world’s most dangerous hands.

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Works Cited

Alcaro, Riccardo. "Europe's Defence of the Iran Nuclear Deal: Less than a Success, More than a

Failure." The International Spectator, vol. 56, no. 1, 2 Jan. 2021, pp. 55-72,

https://doi.org/10.1080/03932729.2021.1876861. Accessed 8 Dec. 2021.

Beck, Martin. "An International Relations Perspective on the Iran Nuclear Deal." E-International

Relations, 8 Aug. 2018,

www.e-ir.info/2018/08/08/an-international-relations-perspective-on-the-iran-nuclear-deal/

. Accessed 8 Dec. 2021.

Davenport, Kelsey. "The Iran Nuclear Deal: Prelude to Proliferation in the Middle East?" Arms

Control Today, vol. 46, no. 6, 2016. Proquest,

www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/iran-nuclear-deal-prelude-proliferation-middle/doc

view/1806389375/se-2?accountid=3785. Accessed 8 Dec. 2021.

Gauoette, Nicole, et al. "Iran nuclear talks to restart as US emphasizes it's 'prepared to use other

options' if diplomacy fails." CNN, 28 Nov. 2021,

www.cnn.com/2021/11/28/politics/iran-talks-restart/index.html. Accessed 8 Dec. 2021.

Juneau, Thomas. "The Enduring Constraints on Iran's Power after the Nuclear Deal." Political

Science Quarterly, vol. 134, no. 1, Mar. 2019, pp. 39-61,

https://doi.org/10.1002/polq.12869. Accessed 8 Dec. 2021.

Norell, Magnus. "A Really Bad Deal: The Iran Nuclear Deal and Its Implications." European

View, vol. 14, no. 2, Dec. 2015, pp. 285-91, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12290-015-0365-3.

Accessed 8 Dec. 2021.

Robinson, Kali. "What Is the Iran Nuclear Deal?" Council on Foreign Relations, 18 Aug. 2021,

www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-iran-nuclear-deal. Accessed 8 Dec. 2021.

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Sebenius, James K., and Michael K. Singh. "Is a Nuclear Deal with Iran Possible? An Analytical

Framework for the Iran Nuclear Negotiations." International Security, vol. 37, no. 3, Jan.

2013, pp. 52-91, https://doi.org/10.1162/ISEC_a_00108. Accessed 8 Dec. 2021.