Angelika Hellweger considers the current fragile nature of the Iran nuclear deal

With the UK and some European nations set to breach the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran for the first time, Angelika Hellweger wrote an assessment of the situation.

In her piece, which was published by The World Financial Review, Angelika summarises events that have led to the current state of affairs. She also outlines why the European countries have decided to breach the deal and why it is such a risk.

Angelika explains that Iran is close to being able to manufacture weapons-grade enriched uranium and it is hard to determine how it will react to the breach.
The 2015 deal includes a series of dates when various sanctions on Iran were due to be lifted. But Iran’s breaching of its terms may mean those sanctions will remain in place. Angelika says a decision not to lift the sanctions would reduce or even end International Atomic Energy Agency inspections in Iran, remove all transparency regarding Iran’s nuclear programme and even lead to Iran quickening the rate at which it produces highly-enriched uranium.

She emphasises that the current deal provides a platform to address a wide range of issues and may eventually help European companies regain access to Iranian markets. Europe, she adds, needs to think hard about the danger of pushing Iran towards closer relations with countries such as China and Russia, at a time when it has also re-established a relationship with Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf.

Any rushing into action now could cause irreversible damage. It could be more worthwhile, she concludes, to act in a manner that can encourage more stable political and economic relations.

The full article can be read here.