Iran nuclear deal a step forward, but traditional arms race still a threat | Citizens' Press
The population of Iran has welcomed the comprehensive agreement on its nuclear programme. Where opposition to the agreement exists, it is based on the misguided (but often promoted) belief that Iran has ambitions of attaining nuclear weapon capabilities.
The reality is that Iran signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1968 that bans the development of nuclear arms and has not yet to demonstrate any lack of commitment.
This new agreement makes Iran’s intentions clear by turning the country’s most advanced uranium enrichment facility, Fordow, into a demonstration and research site – ceasing its current enrichment operations. Fordow’s uranium enrichment will be taken up by a less developed nuclear facility in Natanz.
Middle Eastern responses to the agreement have been predictable, with governmental and non-governmental allies welcoming the deal and Iran’s foes, including Israel and Saudi Arabia, sounding various degrees of alarm. These US-allied states have begun preparing for more military operations in the region and it is certain that the conventional arms race will pick up steam.
While the Lausanne talks are a diplomatic triumph, the peace is tenuous. The agreement will only be sustained if there is a continued and equal commitment to diplomacy from Riyadh, Doha, and the other influential countries in the region.