A decade after the nuclear deal, Iran faces sweeping sanctions, bombed sites
Sweeping sanctions have been imposed on Iran a decade after Tehran signed the deal limiting its nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions. From the time the deal was implemented in January 2016, until May 2018, signatories abided by the deal. This restricted Iran to enriching uranium to 3.67 per cent for power generation and research, its stockpile to 300 kilos and its centrifuges to an old model. Iran's nuclear facilities were also subjected to monitoring and inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Tehran is a party to the 1970's treaty on the Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Weapons and insists Iran has no intention of making nuclear weapons. Israel remains the only regional country to have an arsenal of nuclear bombs.
Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 and imposed punitive sanctions. Iran waited for a year for Germany, France, Britain, the EU and UN to get round US sanctions before beginning to breach the deal. Since then, Iran has enriched uranium to 60 per cent purity, a short reach from 90 per cent needed for nuclear bombs, and has created a stockpile of more than 400 kilos enriched to 60 per cent which has no use except to approach the level of 90 per cent. Iran has also carried our nuclear activities not declared to the IAEA which has urged Iran to change its behaviour. In June, at the conclusion of the Israeli assault on Iran, the US and Israel bombed three key Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Nantaz and Isfahan. Trump claimed the sites were 'completely and totally obliterated' and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi admitted they had sustained serverd damage but experts argued restoration could take months not years.
Why did Trump pull out of what was a good deal for everyone? While most US citizens favoured staying in the nuclear deal, Trump pulled out because he wanted to deny Democrat predecessor Barack Obama foreign policy successes. After his inauguration to his first term in January 2018. Trump took the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations and the Paris Agreement on climate change migration, and reimposed sanctions on Cuba. On the home front, Trump gutted the Obama health care programme and pressed for lifting Obama's financial regulations. Trump also secured complete control over the Republican party which had been moderate and prepared to negotiate with the Democrats. Since then, the Democratic party has deteriorated and cannot reach bicommunal deals with Trump's Republicans.
Until recently, Trump has made common cause with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu no matter how controversial. Trump has this week put forward a 21-article peace plan for ending the Gaza war which he expects Netanyahu and Hamas to accept and Trump has told the Israeli leader there can be no annexation of the West Bank where Israel has systematically expanded illegal settlements.
Due to Netanyahu’s policies, Israel has lost its most important global asset: impunity. Israeli, UN and international rights organisations have condemned Israel for war crimes in Gaza and called its actions 'genocide.' Trump is the only world leader to reject these charges and along with Netanyahu has asserted his opposition to recognition of a Palestinian state by US allies Britain, France, Canada, and other Western countries. Luxembourg has not only recognised Palestine but defined its territory as East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza which is occupied by Israel.
Trump has also been inconsistent on Russia's war in Ukraine. Trump initially supported Russian President Vladimir Putin but has recently said he thinks Ukraine can win the war with the support of Europe which has been arming and financing Ukraine. Trump has positioned himself as a mediator but warned Ukraine that a peace deal would involve the loss of territory, presumably Crimea and portions of the Eastern Donbass region. Ukraine has, so far, rejected such a deal. Meanwhile, the US has benefitted from the war by convincing Europe to buy $825 million in US weapons for Ukraine. Arming Ukraine eases pressure on that country and Europe to end the war through negotiations during which Russia is certain to put forward its demands for a price in Ukrainian territory.
Trump is obsessed with being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize which Obama secured after his first year in office. Trump is determined to get what Obama achieved. However, Trump has enabled Israel to wage war for two years on Gaza and failed to halt Russia's war on Ukraine. Although these are the most high-profile conflicts today, he claims the prize for stopping six or seven wars. He has said he helped to end conflicts between Israel and Iran, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Cambodia and Thailand, India and Pakistan, Serbia and Kosovo, and Armenia and Azerbaijan and Egypt and Ethiopia. While he has mediated ceasefires in several of these conflicts, in cases of deep-seated fundamental hostilities he has not succeeded. Hiis peacemaking record has been mixed. In any case, it is too late in 2025 for him to win this year’s Nobel Prize which will be announced on October 10th.
Sweeping sanctions have been imposed on Iran a decade after Tehran signed the deal limiting its nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions. From the time the deal was implemented in January 2016, until May 2018, signatories abided by the deal. This restricted Iran to enriching uranium to 3.67 per cent for power generation and research, its stockpile to 300 kilos and its centrifuges to an old model. Iran's nuclear facilities were also subjected to monitoring and inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Tehran is a party to the 1970's treaty on the Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Weapons and insists Iran has no intention of making nuclear weapons. Israel remains the only regional country to have an arsenal of nuclear bombs.
Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 and imposed punitive sanctions. Iran waited for a year for Germany, France, Britain, the EU and UN to get round US sanctions before beginning to breach the deal. Since then, Iran has enriched uranium to 60 per cent purity, a short reach from 90 per cent needed for nuclear bombs, and has created a stockpile of more than 400 kilos enriched to 60 per cent which has no use except to approach the level of 90 per cent. Iran has also carried our nuclear activities not declared to the IAEA which has urged Iran to change its behaviour. In June, at the conclusion of the Israeli assault on Iran, the US and Israel bombed three key Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Nantaz and Isfahan. Trump claimed the sites were 'completely and totally obliterated' and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi admitted they had sustained serverd damage but experts argued restoration could take months not years.
Why did Trump pull out of what was a good deal for everyone? While most US citizens favoured staying in the nuclear deal, Trump pulled out because he wanted to deny Democrat predecessor Barack Obama foreign policy successes. After his inauguration to his first term in January 2018. Trump took the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations and the Paris Agreement on climate change migration, and reimposed sanctions on Cuba. On the home front, Trump gutted the Obama health care programme and pressed for lifting Obama's financial regulations. Trump also secured complete control over the Republican party which had been moderate and prepared to negotiate with the Democrats. Since then, the Democratic party has deteriorated and cannot reach bicommunal deals with Trump's Republicans.
Until recently, Trump has made common cause with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu no matter how controversial. Trump has this week put forward a 21-article peace plan for ending the Gaza war which he expects Netanyahu and Hamas to accept and Trump has told the Israeli leader there can be no annexation of the West Bank where Israel has systematically expanded illegal settlements.
Due to Netanyahu’s policies, Israel has lost its most important global asset: impunity. Israeli, UN and international rights organisations have condemned Israel for war crimes in Gaza and called its actions 'genocide.' Trump is the only world leader to reject these charges and along with Netanyahu has asserted his opposition to recognition of a Palestinian state by US allies Britain, France, Canada, and other Western countries. Luxembourg has not only recognised Palestine but defined its territory as East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza which is occupied by Israel.
Trump has also been inconsistent on Russia's war in Ukraine. Trump initially supported Russian President Vladimir Putin but has recently said he thinks Ukraine can win the war with the support of Europe which has been arming and financing Ukraine. Trump has positioned himself as a mediator but warned Ukraine that a peace deal would involve the loss of territory, presumably Crimea and portions of the Eastern Donbass region. Ukraine has, so far, rejected such a deal. Meanwhile, the US has benefitted from the war by convincing Europe to buy $825 million in US weapons for Ukraine. Arming Ukraine eases pressure on that country and Europe to end the war through negotiations during which Russia is certain to put forward its demands for a price in Ukrainian territory.
Trump is obsessed with being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize which Obama secured after his first year in office. Trump is determined to get what Obama achieved. However, Trump has enabled Israel to wage war for two years on Gaza and failed to halt Russia's war on Ukraine. Although these are the most high-profile conflicts today, he claims the prize for stopping six or seven wars. He has said he helped to end conflicts between Israel and Iran, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Cambodia and Thailand, India and Pakistan, Serbia and Kosovo, and Armenia and Azerbaijan and Egypt and Ethiopia. While he has mediated ceasefires in several of these conflicts, in cases of deep-seated fundamental hostilities he has not succeeded. Hiis peacemaking record has been mixed. In any case, it is too late in 2025 for him to win this year’s Nobel Prize which will be announced on October 10th.
Sweeping sanctions have been imposed on Iran a decade after Tehran signed the deal limiting its nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions. From the time the deal was implemented in January 2016, until May 2018, signatories abided by the deal. This restricted Iran to enriching uranium to 3.67 per cent for power generation and research, its stockpile to 300 kilos and its centrifuges to an old model. Iran's nuclear facilities were also subjected to monitoring and inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Tehran is a party to the 1970's treaty on the Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Weapons and insists Iran has no intention of making nuclear weapons. Israel remains the only regional country to have an arsenal of nuclear bombs.
Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 and imposed punitive sanctions. Iran waited for a year for Germany, France, Britain, the EU and UN to get round US sanctions before beginning to breach the deal. Since then, Iran has enriched uranium to 60 per cent purity, a short reach from 90 per cent needed for nuclear bombs, and has created a stockpile of more than 400 kilos enriched to 60 per cent which has no use except to approach the level of 90 per cent. Iran has also carried our nuclear activities not declared to the IAEA which has urged Iran to change its behaviour. In June, at the conclusion of the Israeli assault on Iran, the US and Israel bombed three key Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Nantaz and Isfahan. Trump claimed the sites were 'completely and totally obliterated' and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi admitted they had sustained serverd damage but experts argued restoration could take months not years.
Why did Trump pull out of what was a good deal for everyone? While most US citizens favoured staying in the nuclear deal, Trump pulled out because he wanted to deny Democrat predecessor Barack Obama foreign policy successes. After his inauguration to his first term in January 2018. Trump took the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations and the Paris Agreement on climate change migration, and reimposed sanctions on Cuba. On the home front, Trump gutted the Obama health care programme and pressed for lifting Obama's financial regulations. Trump also secured complete control over the Republican party which had been moderate and prepared to negotiate with the Democrats. Since then, the Democratic party has deteriorated and cannot reach bicommunal deals with Trump's Republicans.
Until recently, Trump has made common cause with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu no matter how controversial. Trump has this week put forward a 21-article peace plan for ending the Gaza war which he expects Netanyahu and Hamas to accept and Trump has told the Israeli leader there can be no annexation of the West Bank where Israel has systematically expanded illegal settlements.
Due to Netanyahu’s policies, Israel has lost its most important global asset: impunity. Israeli, UN and international rights organisations have condemned Israel for war crimes in Gaza and called its actions 'genocide.' Trump is the only world leader to reject these charges and along with Netanyahu has asserted his opposition to recognition of a Palestinian state by US allies Britain, France, Canada, and other Western countries. Luxembourg has not only recognised Palestine but defined its territory as East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza which is occupied by Israel.
Trump has also been inconsistent on Russia's war in Ukraine. Trump initially supported Russian President Vladimir Putin but has recently said he thinks Ukraine can win the war with the support of Europe which has been arming and financing Ukraine. Trump has positioned himself as a mediator but warned Ukraine that a peace deal would involve the loss of territory, presumably Crimea and portions of the Eastern Donbass region. Ukraine has, so far, rejected such a deal. Meanwhile, the US has benefitted from the war by convincing Europe to buy $825 million in US weapons for Ukraine. Arming Ukraine eases pressure on that country and Europe to end the war through negotiations during which Russia is certain to put forward its demands for a price in Ukrainian territory.
Trump is obsessed with being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize which Obama secured after his first year in office. Trump is determined to get what Obama achieved. However, Trump has enabled Israel to wage war for two years on Gaza and failed to halt Russia's war on Ukraine. Although these are the most high-profile conflicts today, he claims the prize for stopping six or seven wars. He has said he helped to end conflicts between Israel and Iran, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Cambodia and Thailand, India and Pakistan, Serbia and Kosovo, and Armenia and Azerbaijan and Egypt and Ethiopia. While he has mediated ceasefires in several of these conflicts, in cases of deep-seated fundamental hostilities he has not succeeded. Hiis peacemaking record has been mixed. In any case, it is too late in 2025 for him to win this year’s Nobel Prize which will be announced on October 10th.
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A decade after the nuclear deal, Iran faces sweeping sanctions, bombed sites
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