Does Iran deal advance or undermine global nonproliferation efforts? Experts disagree

Does Iran deal advance or undermine global nonproliferation efforts? Experts disagree

Published 11 May 2015

The White House already points to the potential Iran deal as one of the highlights of Obama’s legacy, as it fulfills both the Obama doctrine of advancing U.S. interests through engagement with America’s adversaries and the vision of a world gradually retreating from furthering nuclear weapons ambitions. Nuclear nonproliferation experts, however, question whether an Iranian nuclear deal, as laid out in the framework agreement reached last month, advances or sets back the nonproliferation agenda and Obama’s vision of ridding the world of nuclear threat.

In his 2009 speech on nuclear nonproliferation in Prague, President Barack Obama called on global leaders to strive for a world free of nuclear weapons. Today, Obama and his administration are negotiating a nuclear agreement with Iran which, if signed by the end of June as expected, will emerge as the centerpiece of Obama’s nuclear nonproliferation efforts. The White House already points to the potential Iran deal as one of the highlights of Obama’s legacy, as it fulfills both the Obama doctrine of advancing U.S. interests through engagement with America’s adversaries and the vision of a world gradually retreating from furthering nuclear weapons ambitions.
Nuclear nonproliferation experts, however, question whether an Iranian nuclear deal, as laid out in the framework agreement reached last month, advances or sets back the nonproliferation agenda and Obama’s vision of ridding the world of nuclear threat.
The current Iranian nuclear program, if left unchecked, could cause the proliferation of nuclear ambitions across an already volatile Middle East. An agreement which verifiably constrains Iran’s nuclear advances for at least a decade and lengthens the “breakout” time Iran would need to build a bomb is a considerable achievement, supporters of the deal say.