Threat of sanctions are key to Iran maintaining agreement

As nuclear talks reach a conclusion with Iran, Tehran needs to know that if it cheats, economic pain will return in full force, Elizabeth Rosenberg and Peter Harrell report

IN THE concluding week of nuclear talks among the United States, other members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany and Iran, negotiators are struggling with key details on one of the most contentious matters: How sanctions would be re-imposed, or quickly snapped back into place, if Iran cheated.

Critics of the emerging deal contend that re-imposing sanctions is unlikely, and thus Iran will have little incentive to adhere to a deal. But snapback could be a credible deterrent to cheating if the US and the other international negotiators insist on four key principles: Disproportionality, autonomy, automatic response and innovation.