What, in fact, would the United States gain from the nuclear deal with Iran on which it agreed to a framework on Thursday?
The terrorist-sponsoring Middle East nation did not agree to end its nuclear program, did not agree to close a single nuclear facility, did not agree to shut down all its uranium-enriching centrifuges, did not agree to limit activity in laboratories and factories where elements of nuclear weaponry are researched and produced, did not agree to ship machinery and produced fuel abroad, and did not agree to release three U.S. political prisoners in Iranian jails.
It, further, was not asked to limit its nuclear ballistic missile system designed to make rockets to deliver a nuclear payload, was not required to disclose the past military dimensions of its nuclear program (despite longstanding United Nations demands), was not asked to address its sponsorship of terrorist groups (affecting, most recently, Yemen) and will be able to resume building a nuclear bomb within 10 or 15 years.
In return, the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Russia and China agreed to remove crippling sanctions on the country if inspectors can verify Iran “has taken all of its key nuclear-related steps.”
Analysts say the sanctions allowed the U.S. to come into negotiations three years ago with the upper hand, but as the deadline for the framework of a deal approached (and was twice extended), the U.S. began making concession after concession as Iran balked.
Over time, the number of centrifuges the country could keep grew from a few hundred to thousands, the significant facilities at Arak and Fordow were not closed down as once demanded, and the inspection verification methods were relaxed over what was originally requested.
That’s only what officials know now. What other demands were dialed down may never be known.
As the framework was announced, it appeared the U.S. was more desperate for the deal than Iran. Yet, President Obama said he was “convinced” the completed deal “will make our country, allies and our world safer.”
At best, while Iran’s economy resuscitates as sanctions are lessened, the countries that negotiated the deal with it would get 10 to 15 years of not having to worry about the reckless country building a nuclear bomb. But that assumes Iran would not do what it has done in the past — refusing to allow inspectors at some disclosed locations, keeping nuclear development sites secret and cleaning up evidence of nuclear development before inspectors arrive.
Indeed, just in the past year, as talks were going on, Iran violated its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and under the framework it agreed to for nuclear talks.
Among other instances, it fed uranium gas into advance centrifuges, cheated on the amount of oil it was allowed to export and shopped for components for its heavy-water reactor, which could be used to produce weapons grade plutonium.
Despite that, Obama chirped that “if Iran cheats, the world will know it.” Given the country’s past, it’s difficult to put much trust in that.
For the president, the next phase of the agreement — which is to be finalized in June — will be to sell Congress on its merits. Although he has said the agreement does not have to be approved by Congress, he previously submitted the New Start agreement with Russia, which limits U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, to the Senate in 2010, where it was ratified in 2011.
And even if Obama doesn’t submit the agreement to the Senate, Congress will have to sign off on dropping the sanctions. But he didn’t seem to be worried Thursday, warning that “if Congress kills this deal … then it’s the United States that will be blamed for the failure of diplomacy, international unity will collapse and the path to conflict will widen.”
So much for influencing friends.
In the meantime, those friends — including the centrist Democrats Obama must win over — will go to work to pass the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act sponsored by Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., that allows Congress to examine the Iran deal.
“If a final agreement is reached,” the former Chattanooga mayor and Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman said in a news release, “the American people, through their elected representatives, must have the opportunity to weigh in to ensure the deal truly can eliminate the threat of Iran’s nuclear program and hold the regime accountable.
Once upon a time, the stated goal was that the United States would not permit a nuclear Iran. Even candidate Obama said if he became president, “I will do whatever is required to prevent the Iranians from obtaining nuclear weapons.”
Seven years later, the president as much as said the best we could do is to get the Middle East country to delay making a bomb for a decade.
A decade goes by quickly. Especially if you’re on the short end of an agreement with a terrorist nation.