Dr. Ariane Tabatabai is a visiting assistant professor of Security Studies at the Georgetown Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Dr. Tabatabai is on the board of the European Iran Research Group and a columnist for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Her work has appeared in Foreign Policy, The Financial Times, and The National Interest. She is a frequent media commentator on nuclear issues, arms control, and regional security in the Middle East in English, French, and Persian, on such prominent media outlets as NPR, the BBC, Al-Jazeera, and France24.
The Iran nuclear deal framework was reached in April 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 (U.S, U.K., Russia, France, China and European Union). This historical agreement is a great achievement for the world’s non-proliferation efforts, it will make Iran redesign, convert, and reduce its nuclear facilities, curbing or eliminating the most dangerous elements of its nuclear program. In exchange, all nuclear-related economic sanctions would be lifted, freeing up tens of billions of dollars in oil revenue and frozen assets.
However, some daunting challenges remain ahead. It’s an obligation for the United States, Russia, China and Europe to make sure Iran actually adheres to the agreement and do not cheat. At home, distrust of Tehran persists. Some House Republicans believe the money freed up will enable Iran to fund terrorist activities, or lend support to its long-time ally the Syrian president Bashar Assad. Building on the exiting deal will become an important foreign policy issue in the ongoing presidential election. How will Iran react to the cash injection and renewed diplomatic relations with the west? Are the claims against this agreement warranted?
GPPR’s Kenny French talks with Dr. Ariane Tabatabai, visiting assistant professor of Security Studies at the Georgetown Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Kenny and Dr. Tabatabai talk about the details of the deal, the next steps that Iran’s nuclear program will have to take, and the political effects of the deal in the US. Dr. Tabatabai also talks about the long term strategic situation in the region and nuclear nonproliferation moving forward.
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