From Sky News:
Iran Deal: A Middle East Success Story
This moment in Middle East history could, in time, press the conflict reset button, says Sky’s Middle East correspondent**
By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent**
**It’s not often we talk about successful deals in the context of the Middle East but, after a decade of on-and-off negotiations between Iran and world powers, that is exactly what we have just seen.
**
The deal is very much a product of the right time and place - a US president eager to have something to show for his otherwise failed record in the Middle East and an Iranian administration so strangled by sanctions it can no longer sustain the status quo. It’s also a product of Iranian and US delegations who, over the past 20 months, have grown increasingly close and began to trust each other.
It’s hard to believe that, 13 years after former US President George Bush declared Iran part of the “axis of evil” we are witnessing this level of understanding. Despite reservations, countries such as the UAE and Oman have congratulated Iran on the deal. They stand to benefit from increased trade with Iran. But other Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia remain sceptical - and angry - at the prospects of an agreement that has the potential to shift regional alliances.
Unsurprisingly, Israel also called the deal an “historic mistake” that doesn’t have adequate provisions to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. But it’s unlikely either Israel or Saudi Arabia would have been happy with any deal with Iran, as each have benefited both strategically and financially from its isolation from the West.
This is a huge moment in the modern history of the Middle East that, in many ways, has become defined by this split between Iran and her allies on one side and the West and its regional allies on the other. Much of the conflicts have been played out in this context. In time, this deal could press the reset button.
Having said that, there is unlikely to be any major shifts in Iran’s foreign policy in the near future, a fact made clear in the Iranian President’s speech after the deal was announced where he assured his regional allies in Damascus and Beirut that the agreement had not come at their expense. Rather, the more immediate impact of this deal is likely be an economic one. The world powers will aim to lift sanctions in early 2016. Decades of US, EU and UN sanctions on Iran have affected every part of daily lives there and the idea that these sanctions could be lifted by the early part of next year will have a tangible and real effect on Iranians. It opens their country up to trade with the rest of the world and brings them out from the cold – the potential is staggering.
With such a young population, many have never lived in an Iran not under sanctions and they will be celebrating tonight. But Iran’s economy has suffered greatly, especially in the past few years with high unemployment and low GDP, so it may take some time for the country to recover and for the effects of any changes to trickle down to the man on the street.
An historic day no doubt, but this is the beginning of a journey, not the end.
Source: Iran Deal: A Middle East Success Story
More: What Does The Iran Deal Mean For The World?
Any thoughts? Are you optimistic?
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