Britain, France, and Germany's outreach to Trump has increasingly put them in a position where they will likely be blamed by all sides in case the nuclear deal collapses.

"...Iran's turn toward China and Russia leave the United States with less leverage for future negotiations on any issue, making it less and less likely for Iran to agree to cooperate with the United States or its allies. Thus, it is crucial to rethink these policies and come up with a more feasible plan."

Mahsa Rouhi’s research bridges the academic and policy worlds on nuclear and international security issues in the Middle East. Having grown up in Iran, she brings a unique perspective to her work.

Trump's strategy appears to be one of brinkmanship—rocking the boat in hopes that the other party is less risk-tolerant and will give in before the boat capsizes.

"...[I]f the United States sidelines itself during the Trump administration, the other parties to the agreement will probably choose to boost their efforts to compensate, in order to control the damage and maintain the terms of the deal. The silver lining is that, by sticking with the agreement, Iran and other parties can turn this around, move the game slowly but positively forward, and even broaden possibilities for the future."

"We should remember that the JCPOA, by design, was not a treaty or a deal to guarantee security for all, and for all time; it is not war settlement or a border agreement. Rather it is a delicate and detailed technical agreement. In fact, one of the main purposes of this agreement was to allow all parties the opportunity to build mutual trust and enhance dialogue, so that when necessary, new (or old) worries and concerns could be negotiated, leading to potential additional agreements in the future. The theory underlying the JCPOA is incrementalism."

"The past several weeks have challenged oversimplified expectations for an easy win for Rouhani — and he will face a more difficult campaign than anticipated. But when the votes are finally tallied in May, he will likely come out on top. A competitive race is in the strategic interests of the Iranian political establishment — a campaign that motivates high voter turnout and grooms future candidates — but so is a second Rouhani term."

"The foundations of a Turkey-Japan negotiation with Iran have been laid in decades of dialogue with Tehran and long-established relations focused on energy supplies. Most important, Turkey and Japan continue to maintain strong trade relations with Tehran, which allows them to include economic incentives in a potential proposal. The P5+1 cannot offer such incentives unless they lift a number of sanctions, which seems highly unlikely at the first stage."

Days after a devastating earthquake and tsunami damaged Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, Martin Malin, executive director of the Belfer Center’s Project on Managing the Atom, asked several Center research fellows to write about “how the discussion of nuclear energy is unfolding in their key countries where plans for growth are most significant.” Following are excerpts from their comments, published in full in the Belfer Center blog Power & Policy on March 16, 2011.

The crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan is sending shockwaves through nuclear planning agencies around the world.   Policy makers are asking for reviews of safety regulations, publics are expressing concern, and it appears likely that some of the planned construction will be curtailed. These commentaries offer sketches of how the discussion of nuclear energy is unfolding in key countries where plans for growth are most significant.