Washington has made tone shifts regarding the revival of the nuclear deal with Iran considering no accessible Plan B.
A slight re-adjustment in Washington’s formal rhetoric indicates that the United States considers that renewing the 2015 Iran nuclear deal preferable to any other Plan B options. This is while the progress in Iran ‘s nuclear project has been Extensive and impressive.
For over a year, the Biden office contended that the non-proliferation gains of a fresh pact would soon be overwhelmed by Iran’s nuclear project’s growth. Nonproliferation is the main apparent agenda behind the efforts to constrain Tehran’s capacity to advance toward a nuclear weapon. Last year, the chief US negotiator remarked that one can’t resurrect a “dead corpse.”
In return for respite from financial sanctions, Tehran curtailed nuclear development to hinder it to enter a potential military phase. Iran has stressed repeatedly that its project is for nonviolent objectives.
Four years ago, US former US president violated the deal and re-imposed tough sanctions against JCPOA. Iran began step-by-step withdrawal a year later based on the original regulations. With new president at office, the United States attempted, but failed, to resurrect the accord through indirect discussions in Vienna.
“We will need to have additional clarity in the coming days given that we are at this decisive … moment, knowing that Tehran’s nuclear advancements will soon render the non-proliferation benefits that the JCPOA conveyed essentially meaningless,” said State Department spokesman in comments made three months ago.
Other authorities have employed metaphors like the runway being restricted, the clock ticking, and the window shutting to illustrate the urgency.
Nevertheless, Price and others in Washington have since downplayed the shortage of time. Instead, they have concentrated on only resurrecting the pact if it is in the national security interests of United States.
A shift of Tone; Necessity of Nuclear Deal
“We’re going to test the proposition of a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA for as long as doing so remains in our interests. As long as the non-proliferation benefits that a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA brings is better than what we have now, that will likely be an outcome that’s in our interest,” These recent comment by Price on April 26 is indicative of a re-adjustment of policies by Washington.
The statement about renewing the nuclear deal solely if it was in the national interest of the United States has precedent, including by Price earlier this year. However, the fresh focus and the reduced accent on time running out are significant. That is a significant shift in the non-proliferation threshold.
There has also been speculation of “Plan B” possibilities for dealing with Iran ‘s nuclear activity. However, there are just a few decent-for-consideration ones available.
Alternatives, according to Dennis Ross, include increased economic sanctions on Tehran as well as military operations by the US or Israel to eliminate nuclear installations across Iran. According to the veteran US official who managed Iran strategy for the Obama administration, none of these option secure Washington interests. thus the White House is still seeking to resurrect the agreement. As Ross puts it, “plan B is basically what plan A was.”
The US now considers that reinstating some of the nuclear deal restrictions was preferable any alternatives on plan B list. Among these restrictions are a 3.67 percent purity ceiling on uranium enrichment and a 202.8-kg enriched uranium storage cap.
According to a March 2022 IAEA assessment, Iranian uranium enrichment program is on 60% purity. The country also has a 3.2-tonne stockpile of enriched uranium, 15 times over the limit.
