Final Phase P5+1/Iran Nuclear Negotiations: Key Issues and Challenges

By Daryl G. Kimball and Kelsey Davenport

On Nov. 24, 2013, diplomats from the "P5+1" group (China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom) and Iran secured a breakthrough agreement that sets back Iran's nuclear potential and increases international oversight of Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for limited and reversible sanctions relief. (For a summary the schedule and progress towards implementation, see the ACA fact sheet: "Joint Plan of Action At a Glance.")

Worldwide Threat and U.S. Nuclear Force Posture: What's Wrong with this Picture?

By Greg Thielmann

The intelligence community may have missed the impending collapse of Moscow's empire in the late 1980s, but the Worldwide Threat Assessment presented to the Congress earlier this month by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper certainly reflects an awareness that Russia today is no longer an enemy of the United States. How else to explain that Clapper's 27-page Statement for the Record makes no mention of Russia's nuclear arsenal?

Iran, IAEA Begin Cooperation on Possible Military Dimensions

By Kelsey Davenport

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) broke important new ground on Sunday, with an agreement that will finally allow the agency to begin its investigations into Iran's past nuclear activities with possible military dimensions. Satisfactory resolution of these issues will help demonstrate to the international community that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful and that the country is not pursuing nuclear weapons.