Iran Nuclear Deal: Implications for the Middle East and Possibility of a Regional Security Forum

Abstract

The Middle East region can ill-afford destabilising conflicts which entail violent extremism, proxy warfare, and nuclear proliferation. The United States has restrained Iran‟s nuclear programme through successful application of soft power. Iran‟s possible return to the mainstream community i.e. opening trade and diplomatic relations, after the nuclear deal, has caused escalation in Arab concerns and Saudi-Iranian tensions. This situation calls for a rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The implementation process of nuclear safety and security under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) provides an opportunity to regional states to move towards an inclusive regional forum. There needs to be a complex and multi-layered cooperative framework to reduce the region‟s vulnerability to shifting geopolitical preferences within and beyond and improve regional stability.