Will Iran nuclear deal set off conventional arms race?

On the face of it, the United States is selling the deal to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions as one that will make the Middle East and beyond a safer place.

US President Barack Obama has been quick to send his defence secretary to the region to reassure allies Saudi Arabia and Israel on the merits of the accord.

And while words will go some way to achieving that, the prospect of more arms deals and military aid is seen as more convincing.

But as one commentator put it: “If you are going for an ever bigger hammer, then the more desperate you are to make every problem a nail.”

So could the deal to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions set off a regional arms race for more conventional weapons?

Presenter: Dareen Abughaida

Guests:

Michael Stephens – Research Fellow for Middle East Studies at the Royal United Services Institute.

Ali Khedery – CEO of the strategic consultancy Dragoman Partners, and a former adviser to three heads of US Central Command.

Mike Lyons – Military Analyst and Senior Sellow at the Truman National Security Project.