The Iran Deal Comes Around Again by Brad Patty January 08, 2018

What is commonly called “the Iran Deal” has three components, each of which imposes different requirements on the United States. There is the Joint Coordinated Plan of Action (JCPOA), which is the text negotiated by the Iran and the Permanent 5 members of the United Nations Security Council “plus one,” that ‘one’ being Germany.  This group is called the “P5+1” for short. This text commits each nation to doing various things, but contains no enforcement mechanisms:  the United States commits to setting aside nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, for example, but there is no method for punishing us if we decide to withdraw. Iran likewise commits to laying aside certain nuclear activities, but the JCPOA doesn’t have any means for ensuring they keep their word or punishing them for failing to do so.

The second part is the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2231, which builds out the enforcement mechanisms. Iran was not a party to UNSCR 2231, which under its constitution it cannot accept as valid or binding. In fairness, no one in Iran’s leadership has pretended otherwise. UNSCR 2231 thus in theory binds the United States, which can veto any attempt to enforce it against ourselves; and Iran, which is constitutionally incapable of accepting it. Iran also has Russian and Chinese vetoes it can bank on, especially when it comes to arms sales that Russia and China would very much like to make to Iran.  UNSCR 2231 is thus, like the JCPOA, unenforceable. "

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