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CIC National Capital (Ottawa): Iran’s Nuclear Policy and the Future of Non-Proliferation in the Middle East (Webinar)

November 18, 2020 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am EST

Free

Join the CIC National Capital Branch’s Middle East Study Group at its next event featuring Dr. Zamirirad, a distinguished scholar from the German Institute for International Security Affairs in Berlin who will share a European perspective on potential nuclear talks and a new political compromise between Iran and the US.

The event will be moderated by Ms. Margaret Huber, the former President of the CIC National Capital Branch and a former Canadian ambassador to Europe and the Middle East.
Overview: The tactical shift in Iran’s nuclear policy poses a challenge for non-proliferation efforts in the Middle East. In response to the Trump administration’s policy of “maximum pressure”, Tehran declared to no longer  accept any technical limitations to its nuclear program as laid out in the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and has since ramped up its nuclear activities. As the Iranian leadership has ceased to fully implement the technical provisions of the JCPOA, it has significantly reduced the time it would take to produce a nuclear bomb. While there is currently no indication that Tehran is seeking weapon related activities, Iran’s nuclear program remains a concern. Strategic decisions in Tehran may also have an impact on the calculation and nuclear ambitions of other regional actors such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Tensions in the Middle East have already risen with a series of unattributed attacks, including an explosion at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility in July 2020. At the same time, there has been ongoing domestic pressure in Iran to exit the deal and the Non Proliferation Treaty altogether. Iran’s nuclear strategic thinking will be affected by the aftermath of the US elections as well as the outcome of Iranian presidential elections in June 2021. During the critical period between US and Iran elections, European actors are in the best position to facilitate nuclear talks and a new political compromise between Iran and the US. This provides the best chance to prevent a major nuclear proliferation crisis in the Middle East.

Bio: Dr. Azadeh Zamirirad is the Deputy Head of the Middle East and Africa Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin. Dr. Zamirirad covers Iran’s foreign and domestic policy with a special focus on Iranian nuclear policy. As SWP’s Senior Iran analyst, she provides policy advice to the German government, the Bundestag and other political decision makers in Europe. Prior to her work at SWP, she worked as editor of the international affairs journal WeltTrends and as lecturer of International Relations and Comparative Studies.

 

Questions: Please direct your questions to Hamid Jorjani, Chair of the CIC National Capital Branch’s Middle East Study Group, by November 16 at: hamjorjani@gmail.com

To register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Bq0uz-TZR2CGSc1zoJqDiA

Details

Date:
November 18, 2020
Time:
10:00 am - 11:30 am EST
Cost:
Free
Event Category:
Event Tags:
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Website:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Bq0uz-TZR2CGSc1zoJqDiA

Venue

Webinar
Canada

Organizer

CIC NCB Middle East Study Group