Omar was twenty years old when they signed the nuclear deal. He grew up in Tehran hearing about war every single day. His uncles fought in the Iran-Iraq war. His parents struggled through years of sanctions. When the deal happened, he thought maybe things would finally change.
The deal had a formal name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. But everyone just called it the nuclear deal. Iran agreed to give up most of its nuclear program. They shipped out uranium. They disabled centrifuges. They let international inspectors into military sites. In return, America and other countries lifted the sanctions strangling Iran’s economy.
For about two years, it worked. Iran followed the rules. International inspectors confirmed it over and over again. Money started flowing back into Iran. European companies opened offices in Tehran. Omar’s father found work again. His mother stopped worrying about buying bread.
Then came May 2018. President Trump announced America was leaving the deal. He called it the worst deal ever negotiated. He promised to hit Iran with maximum pressure until they gave up everything.
Omar watched the news in disbelief. America just walked away from a deal Iran was actually following. The Europeans begged Trump to stay. The inspectors said Iran was compliant. None of it mattered. The sanctions came back harder than before.
Iran waited for a year hoping Europe would protect them from American punishment. Europe tried but could not compete with American banks and American power. Finally Iran started breaking the deal too. They enriched more uranium. They installed more centrifuges. They kicked out inspectors.
By 2020, the deal was dead. Iran learned a painful lesson. Agreements with America meant nothing if the next president could tear them up. The moderates in Iran who staked everything on the deal looked foolish. The hardliners who warned against trusting America looked right.
Omar went back to worrying about money instead of dreaming about the future.
