Strategic Assessment

This article discusses what might follow the interim deal on Iran’s controversial nuclear program. With the July 20, 2014 deadline passed and a four-month extension approved, the accord adopted in Geneva in November 2013 and referred to as a Joint Plan of Action may be approaching its final stage. Little wonder, therefore, that an evaluation process of what has already been achieved is underway, with various policy-oriented recommendations for the next phase debated thoroughly. At the same time, all parties are aware that Iran’s nuclear program is one issue among many in a dynamic and turbulent Middle East, and that considerations beyond the nuclear issue are driving many of the involved parties. Against this background, the article offers a view about what provisions should not be omitted from the very wording of a final deal, and assesses the likelihood that both sides will ultimately insist on the adoption of a balanced agreement.