In defending the nuclear deal reached with Iran in Vienna today, President Barack Obama said that the agreement cut off Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon. In fact, it does the opposite. The deal makes it far easier for Iran to develop nuclear weapons for four basic reasons. First, it allows Iran to continue hiding much of its nuclear research. Second, its main restrictions last for only eight years. Third, it lets Iran continue developing ballistic missiles. And third, it provides billions of dollars in sanctions relief that Iran will use to further its nuclear aims.
There will be nuclear inspections–but they will be severely restricted. While Obama claims that the international community will be able to monitor Iran’s nuclear facilities “24/7,” that only applies to a few sites. Iran will only allow limited access to the most sensitive nuclear sites, including military ones, and will be able to resist and delay inspections through a complex arbitration process, giving it time to hide its work. An Iraq-style confrontation over inspections is inevitable. In addition, Iran will not be required to come clean about its past violations.
The restrictions on uranium enrichment are shorter than advertised–and the international community will, in fact, assist Iran in nuclear research and development. Advanced nuclear centrifuge research will continue. Iranian violations of the interim nuclear deal are ignored.
Iran will be able to continue its missile program, which has no other purpose than to deliver nuclear payloads over targets. It will also benefit from the removal of sanctions on that program, as well as the end of an arms embargo that had been in place due to Iran’s support of terror and repression of human rights. Iran’s terror proxies in Lebanon and Gaza could soon be armed with “dirty,” nuclear-contaminated bombs.
Contrary to what Obama promised, the sanctions relief in the Iran deal will begin right away, with a UN Security Council resolution lifting various sanctions before Congress has a chance to consider the deal under the 60-day provision that Obama recently, and reluctantly, signed into law. Billions of dollars will flow into Iran’s war machine, and into its continued nuclear research, which will eventually lead to the bomb.
In April, Obama admitted that “in year 13, 14, 15, they [Iran] have advanced centrifuges that enrich uranium fairly rapidly, and at that point, the breakout times would have shrunk almost down to zero.” The deal signed Tuesday is even weaker. The argument that Obama and his supporters are making is that the very fact of a deal is, by itself, a sign of changed relations between Iran and the world.
They do not want to dwell on the details, because the text of the agreement makes clear that Iran will soon be closer than ever to becoming a nuclear power.