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Imperative to complete nuclear deal with Iran

The agreement under discussion by the P5+1 with Iran is fundamentally to provide assurances that Iran’s nuclear program has purely civilian, peaceful uses. This is not an arms control treaty because it will not address weapons. While there is evidence to suggest that Iran engaged in nuclear weaponization activities, there is no evidence that Iran now has nuclear weapons. As a non-nuclear-weapon state, party to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Iran is obligated not to manufacture, acquire, or otherwise obtain nuclear weapons. The agreement under discussion will impose requirements on Iran in addition to those it has as an NPT party. [Iran hopes the deal will be endorsed by a Security Council resolution and not involve the U.S. Congress since the five members of the United Nations Security Council are involved.]

We Need To Get This Iranian Nuclear Deal Done, Forbes, James Conca, 26 Mar 15  By the sounds of the rhetoric going back and forth in the media, you’d think the Iranian Nuclear Deal we’re trying to put in place is a horrible loss for the United States, and that we’re being taken for a ride by the wily Ayatollahs.

Or that previous deals with Iran hadn’t ever worked.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Last year, the five members of the United Nations Security Council, the United States, Great Britain, France, China and Russia, plus Germany, called the P5+1 Group, reached an interim deal with Iran to stop their nuclear weapons program while a larger deal could be brokered. Four key provisions were obtained in this deal and all four have occurred:………

So now Iran has no highly enriched uranium that can be made into a weapon, work on Arak has ceased, no more centrifuges have been built, and nuclear inspectors have good access to all facilities (Bloomberg).

Ahh… the complete destruction of their nuclear program, even the civilian power part? Or maybe regime change? Or maybe the destruction of the whole country? Or their total conversion to Christianity?

Come on, what is this nonsense? I understand the best nuclear physicists elected to Congress have their own ideas, but this deal is an excellent path towards preventing Iran from getting the bomb……..

the best indication that they are making a bomb will come when they stop allowing inspections. There is no way to fool our inspectors, which is why everyone hiding something just stops them from entering.

This is a “don’t trust, just verify” approach.

There are certainly key provisions that need to be worked out, like when to lift economic sanctions (Newsweek), and Iran’s ballistic missile program, but these are normal details in any negotiation.

In fact, there are actually some positive outcomes for the people of America if this deal goes through, including the lowering effect it would have on gasoline prices (Chris Helman).

So despite Bibi’s recurring claims of doom and attempts to manipulate our Congress, the deal being worked out is just what we all hoped for, the structure of which we’ve been proposing for years. It’s the first step to bringing Iran into the world’s nuclear community as a partner instead of an adversary, making Iran a compliant signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

It would also diffuse a nuclear weapons race in the Middle East at a time when the region seems to be disintegrating into sectarian chaos……….

Q: Does a nuclear agreement require a treaty?

A: [Sharon Squassoni, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Director of their Proliferation Prevention Program]. No. The agreement under discussion by the P5+1 with Iran is fundamentally to provide assurances that Iran’s nuclear program has purely civilian, peaceful uses. This is not an arms control treaty because it will not address weapons. While there is evidence to suggest that Iran engaged in nuclear weaponization activities, there is no evidence that Iran now has nuclear weapons. As a non-nuclear-weapon state, party to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), Iran is obligated not to manufacture, acquire, or otherwise obtain nuclear weapons. The agreement under discussion will impose requirements on Iran in addition to those it has as an NPT party. [Iran hopes the deal will be endorsed by a Security Council resolution and not involve the U.S. Congress since the five members of the United Nations Security Council are involved.]

Q: What kinds of limitations are likely to be included in the agreement?

A: [Sharon Squassoni] Briefly, Iran’s nuclear program spans almost the entire nuclear fuel cycle except for reprocessing (separation of irradiated nuclear fuel) and waste disposal. The most sensitive elements of this are the enrichment facilities (Natanz, Fordow), which are supported by research and development and manufacturing sites, and the research reactor under construction at Arak. The enrichment facilities and the Arak reactor are sensitive because of their ability to produce fissile material that could be used either for peaceful purposes or for a nuclear weapon. Limitations under discussion include how many centrifuges Iran will be allowed to run and how advanced they might be. One of the bigger issues is how long the agreement will keep restrictions in place on Iran’s nuclear program………http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2015/03/26/we-need-to-get-this-iranian-nuclear-deal-passed/

March 27, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, politics international