In today’s episode we discuss the Iran nuclear deal and look at where things stand with regard to its possible revival. The Iran nuclear deal or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was an agreement struck under the Obama administration in 2015 and which the US then withdrew from in 2018 under President Donald Trump. That withdrawal had huge geopolitical consequences as does the question now of whether talks taking place in Vienna between delegation led by the US and other members of the 2015 deal, including Iran will be successful in bringing the deal back to the table. The larger backdrop to the whole issue, or a kind of ticking clock, whichever way you see it, is that Iran will go in for elections in June and there is the possibility of a more hardline leadership coming in that can scuttle any such. So what is the Iran Nuclear Deal, what does it mean for various players in the region and why is its revival important now?
Guest: Stanly Johny, International Affairs Editor, The Hindu