TEHRAN – Republican efforts to scuttle President Barack Obama’s nuclear accord with Iran were blocked by Democrats in the Senate, paving the way for the president to implement the deal struck between Tehran and six world powers on July 14.

Ali Dadpay, an associate professor of economics at Clayton State University, says the failure of Republicans to kill the nuclear deal showed that “change is possible”.

The UN Security Council on July 20 approved the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Some Republican presidential candidates have claimed that they will annul the agreement if they win the presidency in the 2016 elections.

“The JPOA is an international accord. It is being implemented and the outcome of 2016 presidential elections in the United States will not change that,” Dadpay tells the Tehran Times.

Following is the text of interview:

Q: How do you see the recent vote at the U.S. Senate?

A: As you may know after much lobbying President Obama and his cabinet were able to secure the necessary support. So now Senate will not pass any legislation against the Joint Plan of Action (JCPOA) commonly known as Iran Deal. At the moment the United States political establishment appears to be divided in its support for JCPOA. However this division will not sabotage JCPOA for time being. The important point is that the legislators’ efforts to stop this deal will not end here. Now GOP (Republican parties) with some support from Democrats will launch effort to pass legislations to limit the president’s authority in lifting sanctions imposed on Iran’s economy.
 
Q: Can the vote change the quality of ties between Tehran and Washington?

A: Not during this administration. Do not forget that it was this president who in his first term imposed sanctions ruthlessly and pressed U.S. allies to do so. Right now it seems the administration is not pressuring European or Asian countries to hold back. The international coalition has already reached an agreement with Iran; for European countries it is time to take advantage of the new openings, U.S. domestic policies notwithstanding.

Q: How do you see the future of Iran-U.S. relations in light of the Senate vote?

A: This is a very tricky question and it is hard to speculate. On both sides there are political parties opposing any normalization fiercely. There is still hostility, and that cannot be denied. We must remember that Iran-U.S. relations have become a bipartisan issue in the States now and that means a lot of domestic issues will affect it. However this vote shows that change is possible. Iranian American community in the States used and continues to use the social media and social networks to communicate its message and support of rapprochement between two counties. Although this vote does not make such a change in Iran-USA relations imminent, but an improvement is inevitable now. It needs time and lots of hard work.
 
Q: Do you see business opportunities between Iran and the U.S.?

Iran and USA have minimal economic and trade connections right now. Thus Iran and its vast markets mean very little to U.S. business community. There are many potential fields for cooperation, particularly in aviation, agriculture and healthcare. However potential means there is an opportunity. These potentials mean nothing if they are not materialized. Unfortunately for Americans and fortunately for Iran there are other suppliers and the market is competitive. So when Iranian airlines seek to purchase airplanes the U.S. manufacturers do not have absolute advantage. This is something the U.S. business community has been ignoring for decades. There are other aircraft manufactures and farmers in the world. The U/S. cannot enter Iran’s markets by ignoring them. It seems Iranian businesses are busy answering European and Asian inquiries while American businesses do not know if they want to enter Iran’s markets.
 
Is there any threat to the nuclear Deal, if a Republican captures the White House? 

A: The JCPOA is an international accord. It is being implemented and the outcome of 2016 presidential elections in the United States will not change that. However if the current political atmosphere persists in the United Sates and the Republican candidate wins the elections then there will be new legislations to limit the trade with Iran or to bar Iran’s from joining the World Trade Organization (WTO). Still there is no need to despair now. Iran will cross that bridge when it comes to it.