Sixteen months after signing the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA), the deadline for Iran and the P5+1 to reach a political framework on the nuclear deal is fast approaching. The American Iranian Council urges support for a fair deal that will deliver sanctions relief to Iran and preserve its civilian nuclear program in return for verifiable guarantees that Iran’s nuclear activities, including its uranium enrichment, remain peaceful in intent and action. Hopefully, such a deal will provide a diplomatic solution to a decade-long thorny international issue.

Because the stakes are so high, the AIC wishes to emphasize that the ball is now in the US’s court to deliver. Iran has already offered not only full compliance with its obligations outlined in JPOA, but even concessions that are well beyond the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, in an attempt to build confidence with the international community. However, it appears that the US and others may be playing a complicated game with Iran designed to extract maximalist concessions.