In Search of a More Comprehensive Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA): The wider implications of dealing with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

This thesis focuses on the global threat the Islamic Republic of Iran poses in terms of security, nuclear proliferation, human rights, and support of terrorism. In the paper I explore how Iran’s multiethnic society, historical ambitions and identity, as well as the ideological justifications behind the current regime combine to inform Iran’s seemingly irrational behavior. I argue that Iran’s nuclear program is but one of many threats that need to be dealt with, including Iranian support of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and Iranian drones in action across the Middle East. Also concerning is the cover Russia provides to Iran in terms of nuclear cooperation. Recent developments point to a Russian-inspired erosion of the nonproliferation consensus with respect to Iran. In 2015, the JCPOA with Iran was ratified by the UN Security Council with Resolution 2231, representing the culmination of two years of intense negotiations. After Trump withdrew from the JCPOA, Iran continued its nuclear program uninhibited. Biden attempted to renegotiate the JCPOA, but Iran sabotaged these efforts. Iran’s human rights violations also cannot be disregarded in the name of security policy. Recently, the brutal murder of Mahsa(Zhina) Amini, a 22 year old Kurdish-Iranian, by Basij “morality police,” ignited a nationwide revolution for Women, Life, Freedom. In my thesis, I discuss the need for a plan of action built upon a new framework which takes into account the substantial changes that have occurred since the JCPOA was signed in 2015.