The President extolled its mere existence and declared it a victory for his policies. He is entitled to take that opinion, but perhaps the most vital viewpoint is that of the “man-in-the-street.” The President may not have noticed but the street demonstrators in Iran are proclaiming victory because Iran can keep a nuclear program. He must have noticed that there were no demonstrations in America claiming that the US forced the Iranians to give up its nuclear ambitions. Many people, including President Obama, apparently have forgotten that the purpose of this exercise was not to “obtain an agreement,” but to keep Iran from going nuclear. After all, one could obtain an agreement practically anytime one wanted to, simply by accepting the conditions of the people on the other side of the table. That is, largely, what the President did. He agreed to remove sanctions completely, and almost immediately – which is what Iran wanted. However, the Iranians have publicly rebuked the American statement on the “deal,” claiming that what has been said in public by the Administration is “in contradiction” to whatever it was that was agreed upon. Iran will be allowed to retain at least 300 kilograms of uranium (our original goal was none). Iran will be prohibited from using its “advanced” centrifuges for ten years, but will be able to continue research, but none of its facilities will be closed and none of its centrifuges dismantled.
Details have yet to be worked out, but Iran evidently will be allowed to keep its program, perhaps on a smaller scale, perhaps with some delays, but it definitely has not been ended. Judging from the Iranian reactions and statements, they will not be negotiating its end. Furthermore, the Iranians are not even being asked to do “the three things” that Benjamin Netanyahu said should be established before any agreement is reached: that Iran stops undermining other governments; that it stops supporting terrorism, and that it recognizes Israel’s right to exist. Iran’s word is not to be trusted and Iran’s motivation and purpose are not the same as America’s. President Obama assures us that the deal will have provisions to restore sanctions if Iran fails to keep the agreement, but fails to explain how we can catch them cheating in time to do anything to stop it. In fact, the President himself acknowledged that the deal will delay the Iranian program – not stop it. A spokesperson tried to walk back the President’s words, but he doesn’t seem to know what the deal says or even what it will say. The Iranians seem to be happy; the President refuses to present the deal to the Senate for approval, yet goes into a snit at the idea that Republicans who may succeed him in the White House will terminate the deal. And he calls the deal a success?