Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/13/israel-reserves-the-right-to-act-against-iran-yair-lapid
After a meeting featuring Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid was conducted in Washington, DC, Lapid has declared that ‘force’ might be needed in order to put a halt on Iranian nuclear programs. This statement comes after a time of conflict concerning the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which is currently on pause. According to the Foreign Minister, he believes that Iran is going to race to create nuclear bombs, and that Israel has the ‘right and responsibility’ to ‘act at any moment’. However, Iranian officials have denied all claims of any nuclear bomb building. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met with Yair Lapid stated that the US needs to resolve concerns as well, and needs to help Israel in order to engage in a diplomacy that will revive the Nuclear Deal. During all of this, Iran has blamed Israel for attempted sabotage against their nuclear program, which is a cause for their attitude towards the country.
This is an important conflict because the Nuclear Deal is currently being debated within the Biden administration. Former President Donald Trump had denied a proposed deal as part of a defense strategy against Iran, which just caused more tension between the nuclear programs. However, there is a multilateral agreement being discussed which would lead to Iran pushing back on their nuclear programs in exchange for lifting sanctions against the economy. It is called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the JCPOA for short. The restoration might be difficult, but analysts say it is definitely possible between Iran and Biden.
This relates to class because it involves a conflict between 3 countries: the US, Iran, and Iraq. These are all states, which are established political units. Also, it involves a level of analysis which can be focused onto a regional level. Another important concept is the idea of cause and effect with the JCPOA. Also mentioned is the idea of ethics and morals when it comes to nuclear weapons. The use of nuclear energy can be controversial, and the US is taking a more liberal approach towards it since the election of President Joe Biden. This can also be referred to as a Reciprocity principle. All in all, this article relates to international relations because it involves three states with different opinions and values on a certain topic of interest.