Indian professor: Iran nuclear deal has strengthened regional stability

In an exclusive interview with IRNA here, Dr. Uma Purushothaman of the Department of International Relations, Central University of Kerala on the achievements of the Iranian nuclear deal in the past one year said, “The main gain obviously is that the deal has stopped Iran from advancing its nuclear programme. Its nuclear facilities are now under IAEA monitoring and Iran has already, in compliance with the deal, decreased its stockpiles of Uranium and heavy water. For Iran, while the sanctions have been lifted, it has not benefited as much as expected in terms of trade with the West.

“However, the deal has made it easier for Iran to conclude deals with China, India and Russia. Another gain is that the deal has reduced the tensions between Iran and the US. This has significantly contributed to improvement of the regional stability,” added the former member of the Observer Research Foundation-ORF.

On the role the Iranian nuclear deal has played in improving the safety and security in the world, the seasoned analyst of the international affairs said, “Signing of the deal was just one step towards making the world safer. The world can be truly safe only when it is free of the nuclear weapons. But, beyond the nuclear weapons, the greatest threat to the world's safety is from terrorism, which must be fought by all countries together.”

Terming Iran’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) difficult without establishing friendly ties with US, Dr. Uma Purushothaman said, “The path towards Iran's membership of the NSG is fraught with obstacles. The NSG is structured in such a way that the opposition of even one member can prevent membership of another country as seen during India's recent bid for membership. So, till Iran reaches to a true rapprochement and ends all differences with the US, NSG membership is unlikely.”

On the possibility of cooperation between Iran and India in the field of civil nuclear energy, she said, “I do not see any immediate prospect of a civil nuclear cooperation between India and Iran, though it cannot be ruled out for the future. There is an economic basis for cooperation as India has developed nuclear reactor technology which can produce around 500 MW of electricity. This will be cheaper than the Western or Russian analogues. But the politics around it also has to improve before such cooperation.”

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