Future of the Iran Nuclear Deal and Non-proliferation in the Middle East

On 6 December, ELAC co-hosted a high-level roundtable at the Blavatnik School, in collaboration with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, to examine plausible future scenarios for the Iran nuclear deal—formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—and implications for non-proliferation and regional security in the Middle East. The roundtable, which was held under the Chatham House Rule, was the inaugural event for a major research project led by Visiting Fellow Nima Gerami. The event brought together over 20 leading academic experts, private sector consultants, and government officials from the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Iran, and Israel. The discussion focused on: (1) the current state of transatlantic relations since the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and re-imposition of sanctions on Iran; (2) Iran’s subsequent responses in the conventional and nuclear domains; (3) the political and economic challenges that Iran faces internally; and (4) options and prospects for preventing nuclear proliferation in the Middle East in the event of a collapse or expiry of the JCPOA.

The Workshop report can be found here.