The Iran Deal, negotiated by Washington and its partners, is expected, primarily, to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of U.N. sanctions levied against it. The U.S. State Department has released the document entitled “ Parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Nuclear Program. ” This article will dissect this document and bring in external news sources to comprehend the meaning of what this deal means for Iran, the U.S. and the world at large. It is clear that much of the press regarding the Iran Deal is based on speculation and politics, rather than facts, and this article will aggregate news sources to show that the Iran Deal is expected to bring peace and also, more ambitiously, to stop Islamic State from gaining any further ground in Iran. Below is a video in which a nuclear physicist explains why the Iran Deal will prevent Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon.
Secretary @ErnestMoniz spent 40 years on the nuclear physics faculty at MIT. Watch him explain the #IranDeal science: http://t.co/fxXTtz9ZLE
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 27, 2015
Even considering the science as outlined above, the continuing worry represented in the media is that Islamic State could extend its tendrils into the realms of Saudi Arabia and Iran , the two biggest Middle Eastern players, which are themselves opposed to the extremist group which seeks to extend its leadership over not only the immediate territory of the Middle East, but also Europe and, ultimately, the world. Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan represent the “big three” of Middle Eastern states whose governments, at least from the outside, do not support religious extremism. The reason is apparent; these countries have established governments which, however much they support Islam and Sharia law, do not support the means that Islamic State uses to grow its power and influence, such as the emphasis on Wahhabism, which Saudi Arabia’s Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz (now the crown prince) decries as anti-muslim.
“Some people use the word Wahhabism to describe the message of Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab in order to isolate Saudi Muslims from the rest of the Muslim world.”
Below is an analysis of the U.S. State Department’s Iran Deal. In short, Iran will reduce its centrifuges and the remaining will be those which are “first generation”, i.e. incapable of producing weaponized nuclear material in less than one years’ time. The Times of Israel reported that Iran might accelerate its nuclear program . This is a fear of the media — that Iran will not fulfil its duties — and this is something that underlies any international agreement. But the agreement with Iran accounts for accountability, as the IAEA will be monitoring Iran closely to assure compliance. To summarise the compliance issues:
(1) Iran’s Fardow facility will be significantly reduced in its capacity to produce enriched uranium. Research and development as well as advanced centrifuges, including the most advanced IR-8 models, will be discarded with only the most basic IR-1 models able to produce Uranium for the purposes of nuclear energy only.
(2) The IAEA will have unlimited access to Iran’s nuclear facilities for at least 25 years to assure compliance.
(3) Weapons-grade plutonium will not be produced at the Arak facility, whose original core, capable of producing weapons grade plutonium, will be destroyed.
(4) The U.S. will be able to continue its sanctions in protest to Iran’s human right’s abuses.
“U.S. sanctions on Iran for terrorism, human rights abuses, and ballistic missiles will remain in place under the deal.”
The above is not a comprehensive list, but in summary, the agreement says that Iran will reduce its capacity to produce nuclear weapons to virtually zero in exchange for the lifting of U.N. sanctions imposed on the basis of nuclear activity. Although many news sources doubt the genuineness of Iran’s intention to comply , the fact is that resistance to the deal is based primarily on party politics and not on the focus of keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of Iran.
White House says focused on keeping Congress from ‘spoiling’ Iran deal: http://t.co/02Zw8Sx6lm pic.twitter.com/kReAPsz2wf
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) August 26, 2015
There is another less-reported aspect of this deal. The sanctions that the West have imposed on Iran have, to an extent, limited its capability to deal with domestic issues such as the rise of the Islamic State. Critics of the Iran Deal fear that this is just a way for Iran to delay and build itself up to become a threat to Israel and the world at large , but this argument fails to account for the rise of the Islamic State which would not negotiate with any Middle East government. The current configuration of the Middle East, according to scholars, is no longer the hegemonic rulers like Saddam Hussain , but rather the extremist terrorist threat which is as much an enemy to Iran as Great Britain or the U.S. or Israel.
And this is what the Iran deal is all about: stopping the nuclear threat, but also stopping the further rise of the Islamic State in Iran, a country which, if taken over by extremists, could be a nuclear threat to Israel, the U.S. and the West, and the world at large.
[Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images]