Iran deal: Sanctions are out, missiles and nukes may being coming within a decade
Negotiators have reached a deal with Iran over the desired nuclear program, agreeing to reshape foreign policy and the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East.
The agreement, a focal point of U.S. President Barack Obama’s foreign policy, ended talks in Vienna on Tuesday with Obama praising the agreement, that it met the goals he had in place throughout negotiations and would “prevent” a nuclear weapon.
“Today after two years of negotiation the United States together with the international community has achieved something that decades of animosity has not: a comprehensive long-term deal with Iran that will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” Obama said from the White House.
“This deal is not built on trust. It’s built on verification,” he said.
Iran must cut the number of centrifuges by two-thirds. The new deal places bans on enrichment at key facilities, and limits uranium research and development to the Natanz facility.
photo/Talmoryair
The deal caps uranium enrichment at 3.67 percent and limits the stockpile to 300 kg, all for 15 years. allow inspectors from the IAEA inspectors certain access in perpetuity. Heightened inspections, including tracking uranium mining and monitoring the production and storage of centrifuges, will last for up to 20 years.
The U.S. estimates that the new measures take Iran from being able to assemble its first bomb within 2-3 months, to at least one year from now.
“Negotiators have reached a good agreement and I announce to our people that our prayers have come true,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a live address to the nation following Obama’s statement.
Obama reassured the Israeli leader of his administration’s “stalwart commitment to Israel’s security.”
“The President told the Prime Minister that today’s agreement on the nuclear issue will not diminish our concerns regarding Iran’s support for terrorism and threats toward Israel,” the statement said.
“From the initial reports we can already conclude that this agreement is a historic mistake for the world,” Netanyahu said Tuesday. “Far-reaching concessions have been made in all areas that were supposed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons capability.”
Congress has 60 days to review the agreement, giving its opponents plenty of time to dig into the details and challenge the Obama administration’s position.
Robert Einhorn, a former top administration adviser on Iran who has recently been uncommitted on the deal, praised the agreement for the way it reduced the extent of Iran’s key nuclear infrastructure and allowed “unprecedented” monitoring of nuclear activities.
“Taken as a whole, the deal will achieve the administration’s stated objective of preventing a nuclear-armed Iran for a 10- to 15-year period,” said Einhorn, now with the Brookings Institution.
The agreement sets up a system in which the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, can turn to a so-called joint commission to adjudicate disputes over access if Iran refuses to allow inspectors in.
That commission will have eight members, representing Iran, the six powers, and the European Union. Since access questions will be decided by simple majority, the U.S. and European allies will be in a strong position to prevent Russia, China and Iran from blocking inspections.
billions of dollars in frozen assets, eventually will free Iran to start buying more conventional arms and ballistic missiles and reduces the U.N. blacklist of Iranian officials.
