Nuclear-deal: Burden, spotlight shift to Iran to implement it

With the end of the 60-day congressional review of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) now the onus has shifted to Iran to implement the nuclear deal.

Iran along with the United States of America and five others sealed a breakthrough framework agreement in April in which limits were outlined on Iran's nuclear programme. This breakthrough in a nut shell would mean that Iran will not be able to produce atomic weapons a concern that was raised primarily by the West.

During this 60-day review, no resolution of disapproval was passed from Congress, so from a US perspective, the JCPOA is a "done deal."

Since it is a done deal from US now its Iran turn to implement and turned it into a reality.

According to Al-Monitor, It might be helpful at this stage to assess exactly where this process stands, and what the JCPOA aims to do, especially after some Republican candidates for president claimed during the debate on Sept. 16 that the JCPOA accelerates, or allows Iran to get closer, to a nuclear weapon, which is, frankly, hard to reconcile with the text of the agreement itself.

The next JCPOA benchmark is "adoption day," Oct.18, when Iran has to start changes in its nuclear infrastructure in compliance with the JCPOA, working with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Many steps have to be taken before sanctions against Iran has to be lifted. Thousands of centrifuges needs to be taken out and put them into IAEA monitored storage.

Only when Iran takes these and other steps, including a report from the IAEA on the past military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program, does the process shift to the next benchmark, "implementation day," when certain sanctions are lifted.

Implementation day is likely to take place in spring 2016, but could be longer, or even never. It all depends on Iran.

OneIndia News