ISLAMABAD (Khyber Mail): At a roundtable discussion organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), experts emphasized the West’s greater responsibility in reviving nuclear negotiations with Iran.
Ambassador Jauhar Saleem, President of IRS, opened the discussion by noting that while nuclear weapons have sometimes brought strategic stability, they have also triggered arms races. He warned that the breakdown of negotiations could lead to significant changes in Iran’s nuclear policy, potentially sparking a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi, Executive Director of the Centre for International Security Studies and former envoy to the IAEA, provided a historical overview of Iran’s nuclear program. He highlighted the international community’s ongoing suspicions despite Iran’s compliance with certain inspections, which has led to heightened tensions and the breakdown of negotiations with the P5+1. He stressed that Iran, as a signatory of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), has the right to peaceful nuclear technology, provided it meets its treaty obligations.
Dr. Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Quaid-i-Azam University, traced the evolution of Iran’s nuclear posture through three significant phases: its initial developments under the US’s Atoms for Peace program in the 1950s, its signing of the NPT in the 1970s, and its current uranium enrichment activities following the US withdrawal from the JCPOA.
Syed Muhammad Ali, Chairperson of the PEMRA Council of Complaints and a prominent security expert, analyzed Iran’s nuclear program through five distinct phases, highlighting its diplomatic, technological, economic, strategic, and political dimensions. He argued that economic sanctions on Iran have been counterproductive, as Iran’s nuclear posture is primarily influenced by Israeli motives rather than economic factors.
The seminar was attended by diplomats, security experts, researchers, academics, media personnel, and students, reflecting a broad interest in the topic and the urgent need for renewed negotiations.