P5+1

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Catherine Ashton, P5+1 and Iranian foreign ministers at the 2013 Geneva negotiations

The P5+1 is a group of six world powers[1] which in 2006 joined the diplomatic efforts with Iran with regard to its nuclear program.[2] The term refers to the P5 or five permanent members of the UN Security Council, namely United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom, and France, plus Germany. P5+1 is often referred to as the E3+3 (or E3/EU+3) by European countries.[3]

History

See also: List of United Nations resolutions concerning Iran

China, Russia, and the United States joined the three EU3 countries in June 2006 to offer another proposal for comprehensive negotiations with Iran.

Up to now, the UN Security Council has adopted six resolutions in response to the Iranian nuclear program. The first resolution (1696) was adopted in July 2006 which demanded that Iran halt its uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities.

The next three years saw the adoption of three more resolutions, (1737) in December 2006, (1747) in March of 2007, and (1803) in March 2008, which have imposed gradual sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities believed to be involved in Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.

UN Security Council Resolution (1835), adopted in September 2008, restated the Security Council’s demands made in resolution (1696) of 2006 but without imposing additional sanctions.

The last Security Council resolution (1929), adopted in June 2010, saw the expansion of more sanctions on Iran for its lack of cooperation and its continued uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities.

Role of Germany

Germany is the key trading partner of Iran.[4] Iran's nuclear program depends mainly upon German products and services. For example, the thousands of centrifuges used to enrich the uranium are controlled by Siemens "Simatic WinCC Step7" software.[5][6] Around 50 German firms have their own branch offices in Iran and more than 12,000 firms have their own trade representatives in Iran. Several renowned German companies are involved in major Iranian infrastructure projects, especially in the petrochemical sector, like Linde, BASF, Lurgi, Krupp, Siemens, ZF Friedrichshafen, Mercedes, Volkswagen and MAN (2008).[7]

In 2005, Germany had the largest share of Iran's export market with $5.67 billion (14.4%).[8] In 2008, German exports to Iran increased by 8.9 percent and comprised 84.7 percent of the total German-Iranian trade volume. The overall bilateral trade volume until the end of September 2008 stood at 3.23 billion euros, compared to 2.98 billion euros the previous year.[7][9] The value of trade between Tehran and Berlin has increased from around 4.3 billion euro in 2009 to nearly 4.7 billion euro in 2010.[10]

The Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce has estimated that economic sanctions against Iran may cost more than 10,000 German jobs and have a negative impact on the economic growth of Germany. Sanctions would especially hurt medium-sized German companies, which depend heavily on trade with Iran.[7] There has been a shift in German business ties with Iran from long-term business to short-term and from large to mid-sized companies which have fewer business interests in the US and thus are less prone to U.S. political pressure.[11]

2013 agreement

Main article: Geneva interim agreement on Iranian nuclear program

A round of the talks between Iran and the P5+1, chaired by EU High Representative Baroness Ashton,[12] was held in the Kazakh city of Almaty on February 26–27, 2013. The two sides agreed to meet again in the city on April 5–6 to continue the talks after holding expert-level talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul on March 17–18.[13]

In a further meeting of the P5+1 in Geneva on October 16, 2013 Iran stated that it may allow unannounced visits to its nuclear sites as a "last step" in a proposal to resolve differences with the West. Lowering uranium enrichment levels could also be part of a final deal, according to an Iranian official.[14]

On 24 November 2013, an interim agreement was reached between the P5+1 countries and Iran in Geneva, Switzerland. It is expected to lead to a six month freeze and partial rollback of portions of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for decreased economic sanctions on Iran, as the countries work towards a long-term agreement. It represents the first formal agreement between the U.S. and Iran in 34 years.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "'Substantive' talks over Iran's nuclear program - CNN.com". Edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2013-11-26. 
  2. ↑ "History of Official Proposals on the Iranian Nuclear Issue | Arms Control Association". Armscontrol.org. 
  3. ↑ "Nuclear talks between Iran and E3+3 to continue in November". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2013. 
  4. ↑ "Germany's Pivotal Role in the Iranian Nuclear Standoff - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace". Retrieved 2013-11-26. 
  5. ↑ wired.com: "How Digital Detectives Deciphered Stuxnet, the Most Menacing Malware in History" (Zetter) 07.11.11
  6. ↑ wired.com: "Stuxnet Missing Link Found, Resolves Some Mysteries Around the Cyberweapon" (Zetter) 02.26.13
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "German-Iranian trade up 7.8 percent". Payvand.com. Retrieved 2013-11-26. 
  8. ↑ The Cost of Economic Sanctions on Major Exporters to Iran
  9. ↑ Iran warns Germany: Don't let 'Zionists' harm your interests
  10. ↑ "Germany-Iran trade grows 9% in 2010". Payvand.com. Retrieved 2013-11-26. 
  11. ↑ http://tehrantimes.com/Index_view.asp?code=229816
  12. ↑ Laurence Norman and Jay Solomon (9 November 2013). "Iran Nuclear Talks End Without Deal". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 November 2013. 
  13. ↑ "PressTV - Positive Iran-P5+1 talks in Almaty, Israel's total defeat: Report". Presstv.ir. Retrieved 2013-11-26. 
  14. ↑ James Reynolds (2013-10-16). "BBC News - Iran nuclear checks most detailed ever - Ashton". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-11-26. 
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