‘Iran may accept EU plan on nuclear deal if demands met’
For Prelims
About Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA):
- It is an agreement that came into effect in 2015 to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. It was signed between Iran and P5+1 (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States + Germany).
- Under this agreement, Iran gave the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to 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 United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and put sanctions again in place.
For Mains
The concern for India:
- India wants access to the Central Asian region thus India wants to invest in Iran in order to develop the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC).
- India has also already invested in the Chabahar port, Bandar Abbas port, and other plans for regional connectivity however, these got stuck in limbo following the reimposition of sanctions by the US.
- Restoration of ties between the US and Iran will help India to procure cheap Iranian oil which can reduce our import bill and aid in energy security.
- It will also reduce the impact of China’s development of Gwadar port in Pakistan and also help to reduce Chinese influence in Iran.
What can be done:
- After the US Presidential Elections, the US government has been trying to reach a new deal with Iran while also including its support of regional militant organisations as well.
- Iran has refused to include this in the discussion and wants the old deal to be reinstated with assurances preventing such unilateral withdrawals.
- India can use its relationship with both countries to play the role of a mediator in order to bridge the trust deficit.
Source: THE HINDU