Iran's Nuclear Program and International Law: From Confrontation to Accord

This book provides an international legal analysis of the most important questions regarding Iran's nuclear program since 2002. Setting these legal questions in their historical and diplomatic context, this book aims to clarify how the relevant sources of international law - including primarily the 1968 Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and IAEA treaty law - should be properly applied in the context of the Iran case. It provides an instructional case study of the application of these sources of international law, the lessons which can be applied to inform both the on-going legal and diplomatic dynamics surrounding the Iran nuclear dispute itself, as well as similar future cases. Some questions raised regard the watershed diplomatic accord reached between Iran and Western states in July, 2015, known as the Joint Comprehensive Program of Action. The answers will be of interests to diplomats and academics, as well as to anyone who is interested in understanding international law's application to this sensitive dispute in international relations.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: Confrontation 1. Iran's Nuclear Program, and the Period of Confrontation from 2002 to 2015 2. Summary of Arguments 3. Has Iran Violated the NPT? 4. Was Iran in Violation of its Safeguards Obligations in 2003? What about its Failures to Timely Declare Nuclear Facilities? 5. Was Iran in Violation of its Safeguards Obligations in July 2015? And Did the IAEA Use Proper Standards in its Assessments of Iran's Compliance? 6. What were the Implications of the Actions of the U.N. Security Council? Part II: Accord 7. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and Developments since July 2015 Index

About the Author :
Daniel H. Joyner is Professor of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law. He is the author of International Law and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (Oxford, 2009), and Interpreting the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (Oxford, 2011), and is the founder of the online blog Arms Control Law. He holds a J.D. from Duke University, a M.A. from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D. from the University of Warwick.

Review :
"Professor Joyner's expert analysis of the legal and policy issues concerning Iran's nuclear program provides valuable insight for policy makers and the interested public, and devoid of ideological undertones that permeate many other recent publications on the matter. Independent and realist assessments as this one are a rarity and constitute a much needed public service in the interest of international peace and security." -Tariq Rauf, Former Head of the Verification and Security Policy Coordination Office at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) "Anyone who took an interest in the diplomatic twists and turns that finally resulted in last year's Iran nuclear agreement (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA) are likely to enjoy Iran's Nuclear Program and International Law by Daniel H. Joyner, professor of law at the University of Alabama."--Ambassador Peter Jenkins, via LobeLog Foreign Policy