In his inaugural speech in the ongoing UN summit US President Trump has slammed the Iran -US nuclear deal and said that the deal would be revisited.
World nations are critical of this decision as it seems to set a wrong precedent in the nuclear non-proliferation efforts.
What is the deal about?
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal is an international agreement on Iran's nuclear program, reached in 2015.
It's a deal negotiated among Germany, the five permanent UN Security Council members (China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S) and the European Union.
The agreement was to curb Iran’s nuclear program in return for removing some economic sanctions imposed on it earlier.
What is the US's stance?
U.S critics of the deal are sceptical of Iran’s continuing ballistic-missile program.
They also show disagreement with the sunset provisions in the deal that provides for easing the restrictions on Iran's uranium enrichment starting in 2025.
According to U.S. law, the administration must certify the Iran deal every 90 days.
While the Trump administration has twice done so, the next deadline is October 15, when possibility of withdrawal of the certification is high.
Despite the criticisms, Iran has maintained that it's ballistic-missile program was a defensive measure given the enemies in the volatile Middle East.
Why is US decision a dangerous precedent?
Failure of the U.S. to respect an international agreement to which it’s a signatory would set a dangerous precedent.
The Iran nuclear deal is a fairly successful deal as it prevented, by peaceful means, a country with potential nuclear capabilities from developing weapons.
Also, international agencies have repeatedly certified that Iran is fully compliant with the terms of the agreement right from its coming into effect.
Notably, the deal belongs to the international community in its entirety, and not just to one or two countries.
A decision to scrap or weaken the deal would be undermining the global non-proliferation regime and international institutions.
Also, given the rising nuclear threat from another country, North Korea, the international community cannot afford dismantling a successfully working nuclear agreement.
