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On July 14, 2015, under the leadership of the Obama administration, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—referred to as the Iran Nuclear Deal—was signed. After 35 years of diplomatic isolation, the agreement marked a watershed moment in the United States–Iran relations and achieved a key US national security objective regarding nuclear non-proliferation. However, the agreement faced significant domestic opposition grounded in concerns that Iran was untrustworthy. Yet, the prospect of withdrawal generated a sense of insecurity that the United States's status as a "responsible world leader" would be undermined, despite ongoing anxieties around Iran's compliance. What explains such a paradox in foreign policy preferences? By incorporating discursive institutionalist approaches with ontological security perspectives, I work to show how President Obama's entry into the agreement generated ontological insecurities as he struggled to displace existing narratives around Iran as a hostile, untrustworthy actor. Yet, Iran's compliance with the agreement made it equally difficult for Trump to justify withdrawal; instead, his efforts raised additional concerns that America's international standing would be undermined. Theoretically, this paper incorporates discursive institutionalist insights with ontological security to disaggregate how different conceptions of the "Self" are contested and activated in policy debates in ways that lead to instability and variation in US foreign policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article sheds light on the way narratives translate into policy outcomes and enable foreign policy change. How is it that narratives shape foreign policy change? The analysis focuses on the public discursive strategy employed during the US Congress debate over the 60-day review period of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). This article intends to contribute to the literature on policy narratives in International Relations (IR). I argue that foreign policy decisions are framed in a manner that seeks to ensure their supremacy in the context of a process of political contestation of meaning and of attempts to deconstruct and delegitimise alternative narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the U.S.-Iran Nuclear engagement dealing with the U.S.-Iran relations owing to the Iranian nuclear dispute. Topics include tensions between U.S.-Iran, collaborations between U.S. President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, and Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Also discussed are topics such as role of UN Security Council (UNSC) and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The author also discusses U.S. sanctions such as the 2010 Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (CISADA).

The article discusses the former U.S. President Barack Obama's role in the development the P5+1 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran, including in regard Obama's perspective on nuclear weapons disarmament and the JCPOA's objective in preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. An overview of IAEA's (International Atomic Energy Agency's) role in ensuring Iran does not violate the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) is provided.

Iran, the United States, and several world super-powers signed a historic nuclear agreement over the summer of 2015. The Agreement is a comprehensive plan of action, with an unprecedented level of minutia and detail regarding Iran's commitment to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of United Nations-imposed sanctions against Iran. This Agreement, if it is successfully implemented, may represent President Obama's most significant foreign policy achievement and may become the most important element of President Obama's legacy. This Article will examine the Iran Nuclear Agreement by focusing on the events which led to the imposition of sanctions against Iran and to the ultimate negotiation of this Agreement, the structure of the Agreement; this Article will also discuss the most significant advantages and disadvantages of this somewhat risky deal. This Article will conclude that the Iran Nuclear Agreement could become one of President Obama's biggest foreign policy accomplishments in the Middle East. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]