‘The Dynamic of Action and Reaction’ and the Implementation of the Iran Nuclear Deal

Despite the US withdrawal in May 2018, the JCPOA has entered its fifth year of implementation: the remaining participants have so far confirmed their determination to continue all efforts to preserve the agreement, by underlining ‘the importance of the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA by all sides’. As a matter of fact, the US decision to abandon the nuclear deal has triggered a complex web of action and reaction sequences. The arguments raised by the parties to justify their conduct manifest different understanding regarding the legal nature of the JCPOA as well as the application of other relevant rules of international law. It is important to disentangle the dynamics between the participants to the deal, which also reflect the ambivalence of an accord oscillating between bilateralism and community interests: based on ‘reciprocal commitments’, it is also aimed at contributing to ‘regional and international peace and security’.