French diplomats who negotiated the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran watch bitterly as the Trump administration dismantles their work. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action limited Iran's atomic program in exchange for lifting sanctions, an achievement now fading due to unilateral decisions.
The role of nuclear technology in verifying the pact 🔬
The agreement relied on a technical monitoring system, with IAEA inspectors installing seals and cameras on centrifuges and enrichment plants. Radiation detectors and isotope analysis were used to track uranium. Without the pact, Iran has restarted advanced IR-6 centrifuges, which enrich uranium faster, reducing the nuclear breakout time from a year to weeks.
The art of undoing an agreement without using your hands 🐘
French diplomats watch as Trump topples their masterpiece with the same elegance as an elephant in a china shop. Now Iran is back to enriching uranium like making coffee, and IAEA inspectors have more work than a waiter at rush hour. At least the French can console themselves with a good wine while watching the pact burn.