JOINT COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF ACTION (JCPOA): PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES FOR THE GLOBAL SECURITY

Purpose of the study: The Iranian Nuclear ambition is an issue that tends to disturb the strategic balance and therefore the peace in the world’s most important geopolitical and geostrategic region; the Middle East.This study intends to explore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the agreement signed to reign the Iranian nuclear ambitions. Methodology: This is exploratory qualitative research. It utilises the embedded case study method in which the said phenomenon is explored at different levels of analysis. Main Findings: Though there existed different types of perceptions vis-à-vis JCPOA, commonly known as the Iranian nuclear deal, yet the withdrawal of the US from it under the Trump administration gave Iran a rationale to further pursue its nuclear ambitions. So, the US withdrawal from the deal has enhanced the threat perceptions for global and regional security. Applications of this study: The study targets the students, scholars, and policy practitioners of Middle Eastern studies. Novelty/Originality of this study: The novelty is the use ofan embedded case study method to explore the impact of the JCPOA and US withdrawal from it, at different levels of analysis.