In an article on the US-Iran nuclear talks, London CND Chair Carol Turner argues that a nuclear weapons-free zone across the Middle East will be foundational for a stable peace in the region.
Israel, the only nuclear weapons state in the region, continues to acknowledge its status and hasn’t signed or ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Iran is the only other Middle East country with the potential to become a nuclear weapons state in the foreseeable future. Its cooperation is essential to any practical steps towards a nuclear weapons-free Middle East.
Carol explains why President Trump’s decision in his first term of office, to withdraw the US from the JCPOA, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action negotiated by Barack Obama, was a big step backwards toward achieving that goal. She outlines the basis on which the current negotiations are now taking place, including the approach taken by Iran with the support of UN Security Council members China and Russia.
The article is available in full on the CND website. It is based on a recent CND webinar, held alongside the NPT Preparatory Committee in New York, with PSC Secretary Ben Soffa, Mark Curtis of Declassified UK and chaired by CND general secretary Sophie Bolt.