Historic' Iran Nuclear Deal Sealed After Marathon Talks with World Powers

Before the talks: Wu Hailong, Chinese ambassador to the UN; Laurent Fabius, French foreign minister; Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German foreign minister; Federica Mogherini, EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy; Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iranian foreign minister; Alexey Karpov, Russian deputy political director; Philip Hammond, British foreign secretary and John Kerry, US secretary of state. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Historic' Iran Nuclear Deal Sealed After Marathon Talks with World Powers. The deal sealed in Vienna aims at ensuring Iran does not obtain the nuclear bomb, relieving sanctions against Tehran and ending decades of tension with the West.With the successful conclusion of the nuclear deal between Iran and the great powers known as the 5+1 group, it has once more proved that war is no solution to any problem and diplomacy is indeed the art of the possibilities. I still remember the days when a decade ago the former IAEA Director General Dr. Han Blix, U.S. President George W. Bush and U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair misused their authority and attacked on Iraq on the pretext of Near Weapons; thus made the world more insecure and unstable in the days to come.

Now that when the historic' Iran nuclear deal sealed after marathon talks with World Powers, my mind goes to a historic interview of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV in which he stated that "we are a long way from the democratization of nuclear energy. Maybe I’m naïve but I advocate another approach, which I call “positive proliferation.” The positive proliferation that I would dearly love to see happen is based on a simple principle: yes to energy, no to arms….Iran could even contribute to the worldwide removal of nuclear energy for military use. That is what I told the Iranians several years ago: “Your history is that of an intellectual nation several thousand years old which has brought to Islam all the richness of its culture and its philosophical thought. Keep following the path that is truly your own and the world will thank you for it.” 

World leaders have welcomed the “historic” nuclear accord between Iran and the great powers known as the 5+1 group. 

President Hassan Rouhani said that "the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed by Iran and the G5+1 on Tuesday, marks a victory and success for Islamic Iran's great nation". He further stated that “today is a new chapter to work towards growth and development of our dear Iran; a day for our youth to dream again for a brighter future. Many people prayed for the negotiating team during the holy month of Ramadan; I’m privileged to announce their prayers have been answered…This agreement goes both ways. The successful implements of Iran Deal can dismantle the wall of mistrust brick by brick.” 

“I am happy that with the 23-month nuclear talks of Iran with the world six major powers, we have today been able to reach a new point; of course the month of Ramadan has always been source of blessing and destiny making for the 11th Government…The 25th of the month of Ramadhan in the year 1392 [A.H.] was the year of taking presidential oath; the 26th of the month of Ramadhan that year was the swearing-in ceremony and today, it is the day of Iran’s success to bring the six world powers to the Comprehensive Joint Plan of Action.” 

UN chief Ban Ki-moon “warmly welcome the historic agreement in Vienna today and congratulate the P5+1 and Iran for reaching this agreement”. “This is testament to the value of dialogue,” Ban added. .NATO hailed the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday as a “historic breakthrough” that would strengthen global security, but urged Tehran to comply with the terms of the accord. 

It is indeed a right move in the right direction. It is the need of the hour to for the international community and Iran to work together to find solution of crisis in Middle East especially Yaman, Iraq and Sariya where Islamic State militants have threatened the stability and security of Middle East. Now it is expected that this agreement will herald a step-change in Iran’s relations with its neighbors and with the international community. It will also open new vistas in regional trade and development in the years ahead.

Advocates of the deal will argue that while past knowledge is important, it is what happens going forward that matters most.

Arms control experts believe that there is enough in this deal to make it useful as far as it goes. Critics might at best say that the agreement simply "kicks the can down the road" so to speak - leaving the future of Iran's nuclear programme uncertain and postponing any crisis for some 10 to 15 years.

Given the state of the Middle East, that postponement might seem like a good deal for now.

This agreement narrowly relates to Iran's nuclear programme. But the Iranian regime will not change overnight.

Its foreign policy entanglements in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Gaza - many of which are seen as unhelpful by the West - will continue.

Many wonder if in the wake of this deal there should be further talks on the wider security problems of the region in which Iran is now such a central player.