Iran Nuclear Deal: From Outright Hostility to Limited Engagement

Newsclick interviewed Prabir Purkayastha, Delhi Science Forum, to discuss the nuclear deal between Iran and U.S reached in Lausanne. After the fall of Shah, the US has regarded Iran as an enemy in West Asia. Asking Iran to give up nuclear fuel enrichment is asking Iran to submit to the US hegemony in the region. The sanctions imposed by the US and the EU were more about the unconditional surrender of Iran than its making the bomb. This agreement, if it holds, means that the US is turning away from the failed sanctions regime and accepting that Iran is going to be an important player in West Asia. This does not mean that the US is changing its view of Iran as an adversary. The US now recognises the need to engage with Iran, while at the same time limiting its role in the region.