On the anniversary of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the so-called ‘nuclear deal’ with Iran, a new publication – The Iran Deal a Year On: Assessing Iranian Ambitions – by The Henry Jackson Society and the Friends of Israel Initiative called into life by former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and Lord Trimble, among others, lays bare the failure of the P5+1 strategy to normalise Iran’s international relations.
Despite the lofty promises and high hopes on the part of the deal’s supporters, a year after the nuclear deal, far from being better, the resulting situation is worse. Worse for international security, worse for nuclear non-proliferation, worse for regional stability, and above all worse for the people of Iran themselves. Iran has not become a regular nation-state in the international community, has breached the JCPOA and associated agreements, and has neither changed its course in the region nor made any significant steps towards easing repression domestically.
The new paper released today is a compendium of essays by key experts that examines these angles through the lens of the implementation of the agreement, Iran’s regional ambitions and its human rights record over the last year in detail.
Key findings include:
- Iran has breached the JCPA and associated agreements, with no penalty and in some cases active collusion by Western supporters of the deal.
- Serious concerns exist over IAEA finding and reporting in relation to the implementation of the deal and the military dimension of Iran’s nuclear programme.
- Iranian forces, in particular the Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), are still involved in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen as an integral part of the Iranian government’s destabilising agenda.
- Iran remains the principal sponsor of terrorism in the world – as acknowledged by the U.S. Department of State.
- Iran continues to develop its ballistic missile programme.
- The grave violations of human rights and freedom within Iran have not ceased and the hopes for a moderation of the regime have remained unmet.
Read the full report here.