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       One Year After Iran Nuclear Deal, Sides Remain Compliant but Wary

   by Chris Hannas

   One year ago, exhausted diplomats from Iran and a group of six world
   powers emerged from a meeting at a luxury hotel in Vienna, Austria with
   what they had been seeking for nearly two years: a comprehensive
   agreement limiting Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting harsh
   economic sanctions.

   Today the pact is in effect with clear results on its major components,
   but there are lingering suspicions on both sides that the other may
   take advantage and not live up to their responsibilities.

   The negotiations sprang out of Western fears dating back to 2002 that
   Iran was working to develop nuclear weapons, which the Iranian
   government repeatedly denied. There were United Nations sanctions and
   others imposed by the United States and European Union to pressure Iran
   into abandoning any nuclear arms ambitions. Iran kept up its nuclear
   activity, largely focused on enriching uranium, while the sanctions
   badly hurt its economy.

   The talks hit a breakthrough point in late 2013 when Iran and the group
   that included the United States, Britain, China, France, Russia and
   Germany reached an interim agreement with some limits on Iran's nuclear
   activity and the easing of some sanctions.

   They gave themselves until the middle of 2014 to come to a
   comprehensive deal, but like with much of the negotiation process, the
   talks hit roadblocks and blew past multiple deadlines.  An intense
   final set of meetings over the course of three weeks in Vienna finally
   clinched the deal.

   President Barack Obama called it the world's best "means of ensuring
   Iran does not get a nuclear weapon," while the diplomats involved
   pointed to the negotiations as an example of how countries can
   peacefully resolve their differences.

   EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini praised the agreement as a
   path to "a new chapter in international relations" that uses diplomacy
   to overcome decades of tensions.  Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad
   Javad Zarif said that while the pact was not perfect, it was an
   important achievement and represented a foundation for a new diplomatic
   beginning.

   ''

   After getting legislative approval, the agreement went into effect in
   January.  Iran removed thousands of centrifuges that had been used to
   enrich uranium and shipped out the vast majority of its existing
   stockpile.  World powers lifted their sanctions, unlocking billions of
   dollars for Iran and paving the way for new business opportunities
   there.  Last month, U.S. aerospace giant Boeing announced a tentative
   deal to sell 100 jets to Iran's state-owned airline.

   But throughout the past 12 months, officials on both sides,
   particularly from Iran and the U.S., have spoken about the deal with
   comments that range from suspicion to outright rejection.

   Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that if the world
   powers fail to meet their responsibilities, then Iran stands ready to
   restore its nuclear program.  Meanwhile, some members of the U.S.
   Congress want to ban the United States from purchasing nuclear-related
   material from Iran, accuse the Obama administration of giving up too
   much too soon in the negotiations, and are wary about how Iran is
   spending its newly unlocked money.

   Iran has complained that despite the lifting of sanctions that once
   barred financial institutions from doing business with the country,
   foreign banks remain reluctant to be involved in transactions.

   The agreement spells out a 10-year limit on Iran's centrifuges, a
   15-year limit on how much it can enrich uranium and a 25-year period
   for U.N. inspectors to have access to its nuclear facilities, all
   pushing its major effects beyond certain changes in leadership among
   the nations involved in the negotiations.

   But the United States and nuclear experts point to the main result,
   extending the timeline under which Iran could rush to build a nuclear
   bomb without being interrupted from a few months to at least a year.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/one-year-after-iran-nuclear-deal-side
   s-remain-compliant-but-wary/3417840.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/one-year-after-iran-nuclear-deal-sides-remain-compliant-but-wary/3417840.html