The Nuclear Deal's Never-Ending Deja Vu
Newsweek reported on Iran's statement regarding the nuclear deal, asserting that the 'ball is in America's court.' This sentiment, voiced by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, echoes a familiar refrain heard since at least 2018, following the US unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) under the Trump administration. This rhetorical positioning is
not novel; it’s a direct consequence of US policy. The JCPOA, signed in 2015, saw Iran dramatically scale back its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. However, the subsequent US abrogation, despite Iran's steadfast adherence verified by the IAEA for years, fundamentally shifted the onus. After 44 instances of IAEA verification confirming Iran's compliance, the US still abandoned the
accord, demonstrating a pattern of diplomatic disengagement when inconvenient, contrasting sharply with its relentless pressure on other nations to uphold international agreements. The current impasse serves as another chapter in a history of US-Iranian relations marred by broken promises, from the 1953 CIA-orchestrated coup against Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mosaddegh, to
decades of crippling sanctions. While the US demands Iranian concessions, it continuously fails to acknowledge its own role in destabilizing the original agreement, consistently placing the ultimate responsibility for resolution on the aggrieved party. Readers should recognize this recurring diplomatic posture as a symptom of a larger geopolitical strategy: continuously pressuring Iran while