July 17/2015

The World Just Became Way More Dangerous

This week the world became a much more dangerous place, as world powers signed a nuclear deal with Iran that practically paves Iran’s way to becoming a military nuclear power.

The intent of a nuclear agreement with Iran was meant to dismantle its nuclear infrastructure and maintain cohesive international pressure until it became certain that Iran will never develop a military nuclear capability.

The agreement announced this week does the exact opposite. The new agreement effectively dismantles the sanctions regime against Iran, which took years to put together, while leaving Iran’s existing nuclear infrastructure intact.

True. There are some temporary and limited restrictions on what Iran can do with that infrastructure for the duration of the agreement. If past behavior is any indicator of future behavior, Iran will ignore the temporary and limited restrictions. Iran previously ignored international limitations placed upon it in a series of Security Council resolutions, what makes the international community believe that Iran will honor its latest commitments?  

Even if Iran does honor the agreement, the stipulations of the agreement will reach their expiration date a mere 10 years from now, allowing Iran at that point to legitimately go ahead and spin centrifuges and reach nuclear capability. Given that Iran’s vast existing nuclear infrastructure will not be physically dismantled under the terms of the agreement intact, Iran is allowed to keep its nuclear capabilities resting on a shelf for future use. It would be like switching off a light switch, only to be able to turn it right back on at a more convenient time.  . Does the international community truly believe that Iran will not turn the switch back on when the agreement expires? That’s right – they will switch it all back on again and cruise leisurely towards a bomb.

In the meantime Iran will be rewarded with hundreds of millions of dollars is sanctions relief. That money will likely flow to the Shiite militias in Iraq, the Assad regime in Syria, the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Palestinian terror groups and a bunch of other bad actors in the region and across the globe whose sole business is to undermine regional and global stability by conducting terrorism.

I am sorry I am not a bearer of positive news this week, but the truth has to be said and it must be said clearly - the agreement signed with Iran this week is nothing short of a terrible historical mistake. If adopted, it is destined to equip Iran with a nuclear weapon, spark a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and place the entire world in great danger. 

Shabbat Shalom,

  

Yaron Sideman
Consul General Of Israel,
Mid-Atlantic Region