In January 2022, world powers were in talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The year ends with disputed powers in the UN Security Council.
Back in January, “There was no substitute for dialogue,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Beerbock tweeted in Washington. “We need a political decision now,” wrote Enrique Mora, a senior European Union official who is chairing talks in Vienna aimed at restoring the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdulahian agreed that the talks were at a stage where “political decisions must be made.” Brett McGurk, a leading US security official, saw it as “a climax…soon.”
But whatever political decisions were made, or not made, not by the Viennese process, Suspended in Marchand subsequent indirect US-Iran talks were not enough to bridge the gap. Iran-U.S. exchange of messages until at least SeptemberIran has reportedly dropped its condition to remove the Revolutionary Guards from the US list of “foreign terrorist organizations”, but has offered “guarantees” to ease its economy and nuclear program from leaving the JCPOA again. continued to argue that
The Biden administration applied “maximum pressure” sanctions in November, sanctioning 13 companies in mainland China, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates for allegedly engaging in the sale of Iranian petrochemicals in East Asia. Tehran continued to expand its nuclear program beyond JCPOA limits, using more advanced centrifuges to expand its uranium stockpile up to 60% enrichment.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regularly reported on Iran’s program, but its access remained at a lower level than the JCPOA. As Tehran implemented a law passed by parliament in December 2020 after the murder of scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, oversight by government agencies was significantly reduced to the extent required under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. was reduced to
October: Security Council engagement
The JCPOA reached the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in October as France, the UK and the US. Iran and Russia claimed to be violating UN Security Council Resolution 2231, approved the JCPOA in 2015. The three argued that Russia’s use of Iranian military drones violated a clause restricting Iran’s trade in certain categories of weapons, a claim Tehran rejected.
This is a change in the positions of France and the UK, putting them closer to the US than at the 2021 E3 – France, Germany and the UK. Rejected US attempts to roll UN sanctions because Washington withdrew from JCPOA Against Iran for violating the 2015 agreement.
However, this widened the gap with China and Russia. Geng Shuang, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Beijing, told the UNSC on December 19, “As the creator of Iran’s nuclear crisis…the United States recognizes its responsibility and takes the initiative in taking practical steps. should be held,” he said. Mr Geng said putting pressure on Iran would “escalate the conflict, undermine confidence and cast a shadow over negotiations”.
Russia and China both voted against motions condemning Tehran for the agency’s investigation into traces of uranium found in undeclared locations at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-member board in June and November. He said the vote would only make matters worse.
U.S. Special Representative for Iran Robert Murray
Talks ‘no longer our focus’
By October, US officials, including Special Envoy Rob Malley, said reviving the JCPOA was no longer their “focus.” President Joe Biden has instead said Washington is “putting the spotlight” on the protests in Iran, rejecting the JCPOA’s underlying logic of isolating the nuclear issue.US, European Union, UK Both have introduced sanctions on Iranian officials, citing gross human rights violations in the suppression of protests and the supply of drones to Russia.
While the JCPOA opponents ended 2022 on a high note, Benjamin Netanyahu’s warnings to Iran date back to 1996 and were the most roused in Israel, when he told US Congress that Tehran was “very close” to nuclear weapons. I was. preparing to return to power Formed a coalition with three far-right parties.
But some analysts argue that a new way of thinking is needed to regain momentum in non-proliferation. Based in Washington, Nov. The Arms Control Society asked for a “Plan B” Based on “confidence-building measures by the United States and Iran to prevent further escalation…”
In the Washington Post on December 1, Elie Geranmayer of the European Council on Foreign Relations rejected the escalation of sanctions that had escalated Iran, “Aggressive diplomatic track… before it’s too late. She called for “step-by-step steps” to at least freeze Iran’s nuclear program and improve her access to the IAEA in exchange for “humanitarian and economic relief,” adding that “Iraq, the United States, etc. We have eased enforcement of sanctions against third parties who do business with us.” United Arab Emirates and China. ”
But given the prevailing atmosphere amid government violence that has killed 500 protesters and the supply of arms to Russia, tensions with Iran are no longer just about the nuclear issue.
