Government unveils new Iran deal as Commons awaits specifics

The Foreign Secretary, InfernoPlato, has negotiated a new agreement concerning the Iranian nuclear programme, he announced to the House of Commons this week.

It is understood that the deal is acceptable to the American government, whose President Donald Trump led to the collapse of the original agreement, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.

The agreement, which has been agreed jointly by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the United States, Russia, and China, known as the 'E3+3', has been put to the Iranian government for their consideration.

In his statement to the House of Commons, Mr Plato paid tribute to the work that his predecessor, model-willem, had completed on the deal. Mr Willem was cited as the reason behind the Vote of No Confidence tabled by the Libertarian Party UK, Labour, and Democratic Reformist Front which toppled the 23rd Government, or 'Clegg Coalition'.

The proposal would restart the process of denuclearising Iran. Additionally, the Foreign Secretary said that the deal would see a commitment to peace in the Middle East, along with opening negotiations in the future concerning a treaty on Iran's use of ballistic missiles.

The previous arrangement was ended by the actions of the United States, despite attempts from other nations to keep the deal alive. However, the new deal would be ratified by the United States Senate, which would make it more difficult for them to withdraw unilaterally. Sources in Washington indicate that the Senate is favourable to its ratification. With the ruling Republican Party tightly behind President Trump, who would have overseen US negotiations, it looks set to clear the Senate without much hassle.

The Foreign Secretary granted the Independent's request for an interview about the deal.

LILY HAIL: The foreign policy of the United States under President Trump has marked a departure from the status quo, with his rather unorthodox approach to foreign diplomacy having jeopardised deals from the JCPOA to the Paris Agreement. How did you and your predecessor, model-willem, overcome this obstacle in negotiating the new proposal?
INFERNOPLATO: Broadly, the US had concerns relating to Iranian compliance, and did not believe the deal addressed key concerns, as they have made clear. The US wants a non-nuclear Iran as much as we do, they just adopt a more hawkish response to tackle it. In the end, the obstacle was overcome by ensuring the E3+3 could agree on a proposal that we believed would not alienate Iran. In this, the changes to the original deal outlined in my statement form the basis of this and form from US concerns.

With regards to the US's concerns about compliance, President Trump was widely criticised for questioning the Iranian regime's compliance with the terms of the original agreement, as independent regulators from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) certified the regime's compliance with the terms of the agreement.

LILY HAIL: The prior deal had experts from the IAEA in Iranian facilities to certify their compliance. What new compliance mechanisms have brought the US around?
INFERNOPLATO: It wasn't just compliance mechanisms, but stuff like the Ballistic Missile Treaty agreement and wanting assurances from Iran about wider-[Middle East] de-escalation.

The House of Commons has not yet seen the complete agreement that has been sent to the Iranian government. I asked Mr Plato when they expected a response from Iran.

LILY HAIL: Can you give a timeframe as to when we should have an idea as to whether or not the Iranians will be open to this proposal?
INFERNOPLATO: 7 days.

Note: This interview took place Monday 4 May, meaning that the UK expects a response by Monday 11 May.

As Mr Plato touted the achievements of his predecessor model-willem, he also agreed to speak to the Independent about the agreement.

LILY HAIL: The foreign policy of the United States under President Trump has marked a departure from the status quo, with his rather unorthodox approach to foreign diplomacy having jeopardised deals from the JCPOA to the Paris Agreement. How did you and your successor, InfernoPlato, overcome this obstacle in negotiating the new proposal?
MODEL-WILLEM: In earlier talks with the Americans they had some valid concerns on the situation with Iran, we addressed those concerns and found a way that would be good for the E3+3 and could count on the support of the Iranians.

Mr Willem's remarks largely echo those of his predecessor, who de-emphasised compliance concerns from the United States with them drawing additional concessions from Iran, possibly suggesting that the original withdrawal was a mechanism to gain leverage in future negotiations.

LILY HAIL: It was originally a statement you delivered to the House of Commons about negotiations with the Iranians that led the opposition to claim you had misled the House of Commons. Could you give a rough timeline on when the negotiations on the E3+3 deal occurred?
MODEL-WILLEM: After the deadline was given, the UK Government reached out to the Iranian Government to start talks on a renewed agreement with Iran. We worked on our proposal for Iran, after talks with other countries were had as well. The Iranian Government reached back to us and we had good conversations about what both countries wanted out of the agreement. The VoNC stopped us from finalising the agreement as we were very close on it. The current Foreign Secretary worked further on the agreement and the talks that I had and I am thankful for their work on finalising this good deal.

It is notable that Mr Willem served as Foreign Secretary in the Sunrise Coalition as well as a member of the Classical Liberals, which merged with the Conservative Party in December. That government attempted to revive the JCPOA but was ultimately not met with success.

LILY HAIL: As you were the Foreign Secretary under the Sunrise Coalition, which unsuccessfully tried to bring the US back into the Iranian nuclear agreement, how do you think this agreement differs from the JCPOA? What concessions have been given to the Americans and the Iranians?
MODEL-WILLEM: I think that the agreement says it all. We had early conversations with the Americans in which they outlined what their concerns were on the agreement with the Iranians, I know that the Foreign Secretary will be giving the full outline of the agreement soon, so I don't want to take that away from him, but both countries have given some things and have taken some things, as any agreement should do.

Both men sound optimistic about the future of the deal. However, it is not certain that the Iranians will accept the agreement, and even then, all E3+3 countries must guide it through potentially hostile national legislatures.

Lily Hail is the editor-in-chief of the Independent.