Iran Nuclear Issue: Finishing Line After More Than 12 Years

(Baonghean.vn)- After 18 days of marathon negotiations in Vienna, Austria, Iran and the P5+1 group (including the US, Russia, the UK, France, China and Germany) have finally reached a final agreement on Iran's controversial nuclear program. Thus, after working all night on the most thorny issues such as the scope of inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities, the progress of lifting sanctions on Iran, etc., after missing 4 deadlines in just over 2 weeks, negotiators from both sides have brought about a result that the international public has been eagerly waiting for for over 12 years.

Joy of reaching historic agreement, Internet photo.

The tough negotiation

After the framework agreement reached in Lausanne, Switzerland in early April, Iran and the P5+1 group entered the final round of negotiations in Vienna, Switzerland with great determination to reach a final agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue by June 30. Just before this time, negotiators from both sides expressed confidence that they could achieve this goal, as the contents of the agreement had been completed by 90%. However, the remaining 10% were the most difficult issues that the parties had to fiercely debate at the negotiating table, including inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities and the progress of lifting sanctions imposed by the West on this country.

For inspections, the P5+1 demanded access to any suspected secret nuclear facilities, including Iran's military facilities. However, Iran firmly rejected this request, arguing that the West could use inspections as a pretext to spy on Iran's military activities. For sanctions relief, Iran demanded the UN Security Council's arms embargo be lifted, arguing that the issue had nothing to do with its nuclear program. However, this was a request that was unlikely to be accepted by the West due to concerns about a regional arms race. Therefore, despite all-night sessions, negotiators missed the June 30 deadline, and then a series of new deadlines were set: July 7, July 10, and July 13.

The negotiations on July 13 were considered the most difficult, lasting nearly 18 hours, showing the determination and persistent efforts of Iran and the West to reach a final agreement. US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed the US position that it was unacceptable to prolong the negotiations, and that the parties needed to decide: either complete the negotiations or accept failure, bringing the Iranian nuclear dossier back to its original starting point. European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini also affirmed: it was time for the parties to say "yes" or "no". And fortunately, the answer "yes" came on July 14. Although the details of the agreement were not specifically announced, analysts said that all parties had made certain concessions, ensuring a "win-win" agreement for both Iran and the West.

Under the deal, sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations will be lifted, in exchange for Iran agreeing to long-term curbs on its nuclear program, which the West suspects is aimed at building a nuclear bomb. Some sanctions can be reimposed within 65 days if Iran violates them. The UN arms embargo will remain in place for five years, and the ban on missile technology purchases will remain in place for eight years. As for access for UN inspectors, the deal says it does not necessarily require inspections at any point to be approved.

And if approved, inspections could be delayed – a condition that analysts interpreted as giving Iran enough time to deal with signs of non-compliance with the deal. This is considered a major step forward in Iran’s stance, as previously, senior leaders and negotiators of this country had firmly stated that Iran would never allow inspectors to visit such sensitive sites. Overcoming these two “obstacles”, Iran and the P5+1 group have brought about a result that the world has been waiting for for more than 12 years – since Iran agreed to sit at the negotiating table with the P5+1 in 2003.

Mixed reactions

The historic agreement reached on July 14 in Vienna, Austria, was seen as a major foreign policy victory for both US President Barack Obama and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani. Hours after the news was sent back from the negotiating team, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the agreement had “opened up a new horizon” for his country as “an unnecessary crisis” had been resolved. President Barack Obama, in a speech at the White House, said that Iran no longer had the opportunity to possess nuclear weapons, and that the agreement showed that US foreign policy could bring about “real and meaningful change.”

In the same speech, Mr. Obama warned the US Congress that he would use his veto power against any attempt to block the implementation of this agreement. According to experts, resolving the Iranian nuclear issue - one of the most thorny issues in contemporary international history - will be a strong mark in Mr. Obama's final term. Therefore, this tough statement by Mr. Obama will not be a joke, even though according to regulations, the US Congress will have 60 days to consider and approve the agreement with Iran.

The United States, Iran, Europe and many other countries around the world have all expressed their welcome for the historic agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue. But this is certainly not the attitude of the country that has used all means to prevent this agreement: Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the agreement with Iran “a historic mistake for the world”, while the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister – Mr. Tzipi Hotovely said that “the agreement is a historic surrender of the West to the axis of evil led by Iran”. Standing with Israel are also Arab countries in the region, especially Saudi Arabia – countries that have always been concerned about Iran’s greater position after reaching the agreement with the P5+1.

Obviously, when the sanctions are lifted, Iran will move towards a “new horizon” as leader Rouhani called it, where Iran can deeply integrate into the regional and global economic and political space, and can play a role in solving regional and international issues such as the crisis in Yemen or Syria. The impact on the political situation in the Middle East of the agreement in Vienna, Austria is not only reflected in the correlation between countries in the region, but also between the major powers competing for influence in this region - the US, Russia and China. With huge oil resources and control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Iran will certainly become a target that all powers want to hold, wanting to use Iran's new position to serve their strategic intentions in the region.

Of course, all predictions about the positive changes of the Iran nuclear deal to the regional and world situation will only become reality if the parties seriously implement their commitments. In the world's hot files, it is not uncommon for agreements to be signed and then broken. Therefore, public opinion is expecting a smooth journey after July 14, closing the long-running drama called "Iran Nuclear".

Thuy Ngoc