Why does Donald Trump want to sign US-Iran nuclear deal years after cancelling it? How will it impact India?

Almost eight years after US President Donald Trump had rejected the nuclear deal with Iran as the "worst deal", he wrote a letter to his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian a few days back. 

What happened in the intervening period that the man who had rubbished and canceled the UN-supported deal, suddenly offered the olive leaves to the arch-enemy in the Middle East?

Will Tehran come under US pressure to sign the deal?

Why Did Donald Trump Cancel Iran Nuclear Deal?

Then US President Barack Obama negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or the JCPOA in 2015 and signed it along with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Germany, the EU and Iran. 

However, Donald Trump rejected it soon after taking office in January 2017 and canceled it in 2018. 

He alleged that the nuclear deal did not have anything to stop Iran's missile programme as well as stop its allies like the Houthis, the Hamas and the Hezbollah in the Middle East. 

Why US-Iran Nuclear Deal Now?

Analysts believe, Washington wants to bring Tehran on board so that its nuclear enrichment programme that has been going on during this period could be capped. 

Secondly, Donald Trump administration also wants to reassure Israel that the Hamas and the Hezbollah will never be able to regain and regroup and be a formidable force to challenge the Jewish state. 

Though the Iranian President and the supreme leader Ali Khamenei have rejected the peace overture of the arch-enemy, it is believed that the Shiite state wants to join the US on the negotiation table after grandstanding. 

Will Tehran Bite The Bullet?

Iran is under tremendous economic pressure with its oil, gas and electricity industries coming to their knees. Due to the US-sanctioned economic sanctions, very few countries like China and Russia are taking its oil. 

Iranian currency Rial has suffered a series of bloodbaths and its value against the US Dollar has diminished considerably, leaving the exchequer almost penniless. 

Analysts believe Tehran may soon return to the negotiation table and talk to the US so that it can put its economy back on track. 

Political observers believe Tehran will certainly demand to lift the economic sanctions and be ready to halt the nuclear enrichment programme. It may also be ready to not support the Hamas and the Hezbollah to regroup at least for now. 

But what the US will give to Tehran? Will the US companies invest in Iran, and back Tehran in its move to boost its exports to the world? Will the Trump administration offer financial incentives to Tehran? 

Much is to be seen. 

How Will It Impact India?

It will be good for India, which will be able to resume oil imports from the Shiite country. The two traditionally friendly countries parted ways after New Delhi stopped buying Iranian crude oil due to US-led economic sanctions. 

The bilateral relations hit the rock-bottom after Ali Khamenei slammed India for its alleged discrimination to the Muslims and India hit back by asking Tehran not to interfere in the internal matters of the country. 

The ties may improve.