Speaking at a roundtable discussion organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), several experts maintained that the West bore greater responsibility for bringing nuclear negotiations back on track with Iran. 

ISLAMABAD, SEPT 11 (DNA) – Ambassador Jauhar Saleem, President IRS, highlighted that while nuclear weapons brought about strategic stability in some instances, they also resulted in arms races in other situations. Ambassador Saleem cautioned that the break down of  negotiations might lead to a major change in Iran’s stated nuclear policy, which in turn could start a chain reaction in the Middle East in terms of a quest for nuclear capability. 

Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi, Executive Director of Centre for International Security Studies and Pakistan’s former envoy to IAEA, provided a detailed historical overview of Iran’s nuclear program. He also touched upon the international community’s suspicions about Iran’s nuclear program and  noted that despite Iran’s compliance with certain inspections, considerable doubts persisted, leading to heightened tensions and breakdown of  negotiations with the P5+1. He underscored that Iran had a right to peaceful nuclear technology being a signatory of Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) so long as it met its treaty obligations. 

Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, Dean Faculty of Social Sciences at Quaid-i-Azam University, traced the evolution of Iran’s nuclear posture through three significant phases. He highlighted Iran’s initial nuclear developments under Atoms for Peace program of the US in 1950s, its eventual signing of the NPT in 1970s and its current uranium enrichment activities following US withdrawal from JCPOA. 

Syed Muhammad Ali, Chairperson PEMRA Council of Complaints and a prominent security expert, analysed Iran’s nuclear program through five distinct phases, highlighting its diplomatic, technological, economic, strategic, and political dimensions. He felt that economic sanctions imposed on Iran had been counterproductive as Iran’s nuclear posture would essentially be determined by Israeli motives, not economic factors. 

The seminar was attended  by diplomats, security experts, researchers, academics, media personnel and students.