Topics:

"U.S. Withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal and the Reimposition of Sanctions"

and

"The Assassination of Qasem Soleimani and the Escalation of U.S.–Iran Tensions"

​

Topic Summary: 

Topic A:

On the 18th of May of 2018, President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America announced the country’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or otherwise known as JCPOA. This decision was made with the reasoning that the accord was “a defective and one-sided deal that failed to block Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon long-term”, according to the US president. As a result of this withdrawal, the USA re-imposed harsh economic measures that targeted Iran’s crucial energy, petrochemical, shipping, automotive and financial sectors, among others. Moreover, the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) gave an ultimatum to international businesses to halt all operations involving Iran, allowing them 90-180-day wind-down periods to do so. All U.S. secondary and nuclear-related sanctions lifted under the accord were fully reinstated and back in effect by November 4, 2018. Furthermore, Iran violated uranium enrichment limits and restricted IAEA monitoring after the US’ withdrawal. In turn, this led to permanent sanctions recuperation by the UN as of late 2025. This diplomatic collapse culminated in the 2026 military conflict, leaving Iran’s leadership refusing to make nuclear concessions due to deep mistrust of Washington.

​

Topic B:

On January 3, 2020, Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani was killed in a United States drone strike near Baghdad International Airport. Soleimani was the commander of the Quds Force, the branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responsible for many of Iran’s military operations and relationships with armed groups internationally. The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a senior commander of an Iran-Backed Iraqi Militia. The Trump administration stated when asked about the strike that Soleimani had been responsible for attacks against American personnel and was planning further attacks against U.S. diplomats and service members stationed in the region. The strike took place amid already heightened tensions between Iran and the United States following the American withdrawal from the JCPOA and a series of confrontations throughout 2019. Iran responded to Soleimani’s assassination by launching several ballistic missiles at Iraqi military bases housing U.S forces. The strike further heightened political and military tension between the two countries and escalated the situation towards a potential direct military conflict.