Israel Matzav

#Legacy: The Iran deal a year later

It's been a year since the Iran deal was announced. The Foreign Policy Initiative has done a comparison of "What They Said Then" v. "What We Know Now" about Iran's nuclear program. The New York Post has a summary. I don't even need to embellish this.

The level of willful deceit from Team Obama is horrifying. For example:

• Under the deal, Obama said, “We will, for the first time, be in a position to verify all of [Iran’s] commitments.” A year later, we have less information about Iran’s nuclear activities than we did before the pact.
• Washington will get full access to any military and “suspicious” location; Iran’s failure to allow it would result in a “snap back” of sanctions, said Kerry. Huh: The deal turns out to include an unprecedented arrangement that relies on Iran to “self-inspect” its Parchin military complex. Iran continues to deny access to Parchin and other key sites, citing the agreement to let it self-inspect.
•  Kerry insisted the deal contained “the exact same language” as UN resolutions prohibiting ballistic-missile development. Iran has since revealed a loophole that allows such development — which it’s been exploiting, while Team Obama now says it isn’t a violation. Kerry says he wants a “new arrangement” on the issue but agrees Washington is “powerless” to stop the missile program.
• Obama insisted the deal left a “one-year breakout time” for Iran to get the bomb if it violated the agreement. Other experts say it’s more like seven months — and the latest International Atomic Energy Agency report omits data that makes it possible to calculate.
•  Iranian nuclear cooperation with North Korea would be “a gross violation . . . and we would take action,” said Kerry last year. Evidence since then shows Tehran has imported nuclear technology from Pyongyang.
• Obama swore the United States would “maintain powerful sanctions” on Iran for its sponsorship of terrorism. Since then, he has opposed all congressional non-nuclear sanctions bills, and Kerry has pushed non-US banks to resume business with Iran.
• Kerry vowed “we will never, ever stop” holding Iran to account for human-rights violations. Yet Washington hasn’t sanctioned Iran on a single case.
•  Treasury Secretary Jack Lew insisted sanctions relief would not change the level of Iran’s support of terrorism. Post-relief, Iran approved a 90 percent increase in military spending.
• Obama said the deal would allow Iran “to move toward a constructive relationship with the world community.” Funny: Iran continues to threaten Israel with destruction, has launched cyber-attacks against the United States, holds Americans and other Westerners as hostages and illegally seized US sailors.

White House aide Ben Rhodes also admitted that Team Obama just spun a myth about a split within Iran between hard-liners and moderates.

Legacy!

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Iran Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran sanctions regime, Iranian nuclear threat, John Kerry

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:11 PM