Background

Iran nuclear deal

• The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), more commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, was reached between Iran and six world powers known as the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) in July 2015.

What did Iran have to do to meet the requirements of the deal?

• According to this framework, Iran would redesign, convert, and reduce its nuclear facilities in order to lift all nuclear-related economic sanctions.
• The deal also allowed for the tracking of nuclear activities with robust transparency and inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

U.S. withdrawal from JCPOA

• The US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, claiming it did not address Iran’s ballistic missile programme or its roles in Middle Eastern conflicts.
• The US also re-imposed tough economic sanctions against Iran.
• Reacting to the US’ withdrawal, Iran announced that it will breach its limits set on its nuclear activity by the 2015 deal.

Why in News?

• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has passed a resolution urging Iran to allow inspectors from the IAEA to access two sites in Iran to clarify whether any undeclared nuclear activity took place there in the early 2000s.

• The resolution is the first of its kind since 2012 and calls on Iran to fully cooperate with the IAEA and requests without any further delay including providing prompt access to the specified locations. The IAEA claims it still has the access it needs to inspect Iran’s declared nuclear facilities, as per its mandate under the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers reached in 2015.
• Iran has been blocking access to the sites for months.
• The resolution was drafted by the three European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal (France, Germany, and the United Kingdom). The United States supported the resolution, whereas China and Russia, also party to the nuclear deal with Iran, voted against it.

About IAEA

• The International Atomic Energy Agency is the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field.

• It works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, contributing to international peace and security and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
• The IAEA is an autonomous international organization within the United Nations system. It partners with more than a dozen UN organizations, thereby helping extend the reach of its services.
• IAEA reports annually to the UN General Assembly.
• Created in 1957, the IAEA Secretariat is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.
• Total Membership: 171 (including India).

• The main functions of the IAEA are to:
  • encourage and assist research, development and practical application of atomic energy for peaceful uses throughout the world;
  • establish and administer safeguards designed to ensure that such activity assisted by the Agency is not used to further any military purpose;
  • apply safeguards to relevant activities at the request of Member States;
  • apply, under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and other international treaties, mandatory comprehensive safeguards in non-nuclear weapon States (NNWS) Parties to such treaties.

Related information

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty 

• The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to foster the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to further the goal of disarmament.
• It entered into force in 1970.
• Its 190 states-parties are classified into two categories: nuclear-weapon states (NWS)—consisting of the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom—and non-nuclear-weapon states (NNWS).
• Under the treaty, the five NWS commit to pursue general and complete disarmament, while the NNWS agree to forgo developing or acquiring nuclear weapons.
• Only four countries (South Sudan, India, Israel, and Pakistan) have not signed the treaty, and one country (North Korea) has signed and then withdrawn from the treaty.

Why didn’t India join?

• The Treaty defines nuclear weapon states as those that had manufactured and detonated a nuclear explosive device prior to 1 January 1967.
• Thus, the spirit of the NPT creates a divide between countries that did develop nuclear power before 1967 and those that didn’t develop nuclear power before 1967.
• Being a signatory to NPT means that the party state will cease all development of nuclear weapons and will open doors for inspection of its nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
• The NPT, in India’s opinion, doesn’t explain the need for this distinction and loss of national sovereignty.

Nuclear Suppliers Group 

• Established in 1975, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) comprises 48 states that have voluntarily agreed to coordinate their export controls to non-nuclear-weapon states.
• The NSG governs the transfers of civilian nuclear material and nuclear-related equipment and technology.
• Full compliance with the obligations of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is a membership criteria to join NSG.
• India has been trying, since 2008, to join the NSG, which would give India access to more sophisticated nuclear technology.
• However, China has repeatedly blocked India’s entry into NSG as India is not a signatory to the NPT.
• It should be noted that members are admitted to NSG only by consensus.