Thawing Relations: Reaching the JCPOA

Speculation surrounds the JCPOA amongst nearly all of its signatories. This project seeks to understand how the agreement commonly known as the “Nuclear Deal with Iran” came into being. The relationship between the US and Iran in recent history requires special attention for understanding both the difficulty and the significance of reaching the negotiating table. However, the other members of negotiations also enabled the process as a whole and had unique national interests driving their participation. Analyzing this context and depth of incentives reveals political and economic incentives for all seven of the relevant nations. For Iran and 5 of the world powers, economic growth drives the soft power initiative. However, the unique situation of US-Iran tension suggests the United States cooperated with the deal for political purposes. Additionally, the economic need coincides with unique domestic political structures in most of the relevant nations. This project considers the US-Iranian relationship from the 1950s in the time of the Shah in Iran up to the 2016 presidential elections in the United States in 2016