Save Face Or Save The
World?
As the diplomatic
efforts of the United States and other world powers continue to evolve, Iran’s
ability to achieve nuclear weapons capabilities endures.
Following
the execution of the Joint Plan of Action (JPA) in January 2014, the clock
began ticking on an interim deal that theoretically would impair Iran’s capacity
to produce nuclear weaponry. In return, Iran received significant sanctions
relief.
On
its face, the JPA is indeed an important step in the ongoing effort to curtail
Iran’s longstanding nuclear pursuit. However, the devil is in the details, and
in reality, the JPA is a toothless plan that in all probability will not
achieve its desired effect.
The
terms of the JPA will not fully prevent Iran from pursuing its nuclear
ambitions. It may hinder their ability to do so to a certain extent, yet, it
does not inhibit them from continuing to take certain steps in furtherance of
their ultimate nuclear goals. Iran can continue enriching uranium, albeit at a
reduced rate, and continue to maintain its centrifuges. As it stands currently,
Iran is reportedly a mere several months away from having enough enriched
uranium to produce a nuclear bomb.
Despite
the interim agreement that is in place, for Iran, it is essentially business as
usual for its ambitious and aggressive nuclear program.
The failure of the JPA
to mandate a complete cessation of Iran’s uranium enrichment activities and the
absence of a requirement that they dismantle their nuclear facilities, while simultaneously
providing Iran with a respite from the sanctions, has the potential to further
exacerbate the Iranian nuclear threat.
Although the United
States’ mantra regarding Iran has been to give peace a chance, the fact is that
Iran has not proven itself to be an honest broker. As the world’s most
prominent state sponsor of terror, Iran continues to finance terrorist activities through its
proxies, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and terrorists throughout the world. Its
continued support of the Syrian government, which has carried out mass killings
of innocent citizens, is confounding , and its brazen attempt several months
ago to ship a cache of deadly weapons to Islamist
militants in Gaza for probable use against Israeli cities and citizens was shocking.
Diplomatic overtures
have been made, yet Iran has responded with actions and deeds that demonstrate
an utter disdain for the process and for the attempt to achieve any semblance
of a peaceful resolution to its nuclear situation.
In light of all this,
Iran and other world powers are meeting in Vienna to try and break the impasse
and achieve a final resolution as to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and
capabilities.
What I found
particularly troubling was something that I read in The New York Times on May 13th in an article entitled “Nuclear Talks Will Confront Iran’s Future Capability to
Enrich Uranium.”
“As Ms. Rice (referring
to Susan E. Rice, the National Security Advisor) and Ms. Sherman (referring to Wendy Sherman, the chief
American negotiator) have told American lawmakers and outside experts, the
key is to leave Iran with a face-saving nuclear infrastructure [emphasis added] that would allow its
clerics and the nation’s Revolutionary Guards commanders the ability to argue
that they have not given up the right to produce nuclear fuel, but with a small
enough capability that the White House can overcome Congressional objections.
A “face-saving nuclear
infrastructure?” Is that the objective here? Pardon my naiveté, but I would
have thought that the goal would be not to save face, but to save the world.
We need to forget about
helping Iran save face and instead focus on ensuring that the terms of the
final agreement truly eliminate any possibility that they will have the
wherewithal to construct nuclear weaponry. We must concentrate on making sure
that Iran’s research and development program related to its centrifuges is
terminated. We have to emphasize the importance of enabling monitoring
personnel from the International Atomic Energy Agency to access Iran’s nuclear
facilities without any restrictions whatsoever so they can get an accurate
picture of exactly what Iran is doing on the nuclear front.
There is no doubt that a
nuclear Iran poses a serious threat to Israel, to the Middle East region, and
to the world at large. All of us would undoubtedly be better served if the
international community came together and put Iran’s feet to the fire with the
threat of stronger sanctions and perhaps the use of a military operation if
Iran fails to forego its pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
With so much at stake, helping
Iran save face should certainly not be a concern. At the end of the day, we need
to protect ourselves, not Iran’s image.
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