Obama, allies hail Iran nuclear deal as critics slam concessions
If it leads to a final deal, he said, the framework negotiated by top diplomats from the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and Iran will “cut off every pathway that Iran could take to develop a nuclear weapon.”
Skeptics were out in force by Thursday night, and a fact sheet that the State Department circulated to reporters showed a clear gap between the president’s rhetoric and the terms of the agreement by Washington and its allies.
In a concession indicating that Western negotiators believe the Islamic republic ultimately will build a nuclear bomb, the fact sheet suggested that the agreement’s bottom line is simply to slow the speed at which Iranian scientists can pursue such a goal if they violate terms of the agreement.
The amount of time it would take Iran to “break out” with enough highly enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon is “currently assessed to be 2 to 3 months,” the State Department document said. If the deal is finalized, “that timeline will be extended to at least one year, for the duration of at least ten years.”
All sides agree that the nuclear agreement will not resolve a host of bilateral problems that have poisoned U.S.-Iranian relations for decades, including Iran’s support for insurgent proxies in Iraq and throughout the Middle East, its suspected support of terrorist groups and even Tehran’s refusal to release three Americans — a Christian pastor, a journalist and a former U.S. Marine — who are being held in Iranian prisons.
Fate of sanctions unclear
On a separate front, uncertainty loomed over the process by which Iran will achieve its top objective in the talks: an end to crushing international economic sanctions, including the global embargo on Iranian crude oil, that the Obama administration helped organize in recent years to force Tehran to the bargaining table.
The State Department fact sheet said only that sanctions relief will occur if and when Iran “verifiably abides by its commitments” under a final deal. No specific timeline was identified, leaving open the possibility that sanctions could be lifted rapidly or could continue for years after a final deal is signed.
The sanctions issue is believed to have been bitterly divisive as the nuclear talks continued past the negotiators’ self-imposed March 31 deadline and one that may cause Mr. Obama significant problems with Congress.
via NorthEast Calling http://ift.tt/1IXrGuK
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