GS Paper 2
Syllabus: Bilateral, regional and global grouping involving India or affecting India, JCOP etc
Context:
- A European Union proposal to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal “can be acceptable if it provides assurances on Tehran’s key demands
- The EU said on August 8 that it had put forward a “final” text following four days of indirect talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in Vienna.
Background:
- Iranian diplomats said Iran was reviewing the proposal: Proposals by the EU can be acceptable if they provide Iran with assurance on the issues of safeguards, sanctions and guarantees, the diplomat said.
- No future harsh sanctions by the US: The Islamic Republic has sought to obtain guarantees that no future U.S. president would renege on the deal if it were revived, as then-President Donald Trump did in 2018 and restored harsh U.S. sanctions on Iran.
- Indirect talks between US and Iran: The 2015 Pact seemed near revival. But 11 months of indirect talks between Tehran and the Biden administration in Vienna were thrown into disarray chiefly over Iran’s insistence that Washington removes its elite Revolutionary Guards Corps from the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization’s list.
- Charging Iranian revolutionary Gaurd member: On August 10, the United States charged a Revolutionary Guards member with plotting to murder John Bolton, a national security adviser to Trump, though Washington said it did not believe the charges should affect the nuclear talks with Tehran.
Iran Nuclear Deal or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA):
- The JCPOA was the result of prolonged negotiations between 2013 and 2015 between Iran and P5+1 (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States + Germany).
- Under the deal, Iran agreed to significantly cut its stores of centrifuges, enriched uranium and heavy water, all key components for nuclear weapons.
- Iran also agreed to implement a protocol that would allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to access its nuclear sites to ensure Iran would not be able to develop nuclear weapons in secret.
- While the West agreed to lift sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear proliferation, other sanctions addressing alleged abuses of human rights and Iran’s ballistic missile programme remained in place.
- The US committed to lifting sanctions on oil exports but continued to restrict financial transactions, which have deterred international trade with Iran.
Insta Links:
Mains Links
Q. In what ways would the ongoing US-Iran Nuclear Pact Controversy affect the national interest of India? How should India respond to its situation? (UPSC 2018)
Prelims Links
Which of the following is/are part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)?
-
- China
- Japan
- France
- Germany
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
a. 1, 2 and 4 only
b. 1, 3 and 4 only
c. 3 and 4 only
d. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Ans: (b)
Justification:
Refer to the table above
