Secretary of State John Kerry deplanes in Geneva, Switzerland, before speaking at the U.N. Human Rights council and further negotiations with Iranian officials over the future of their nuclear program.

Secretary of State John Kerry deplanes in Geneva, Switzerland, before speaking at the U.N. Human Rights council and further negotiations with Iranian officials over the future of their nuclear program. State Department photo

Don’t Blow Up an Effective Iran Deal

If members of Congress think blocking this deal will lead to a better one, they are dangerously mistaken.

After more than a year of intense, serious negotiations, top diplomats are closing in on a long-term, comprehensive deal with Iran that would effectively prevent that country from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The agreement would be a major boon for U.S. and international security, for Israel and our other allies in the region, and for global efforts to prevent proliferation. It is an opportunity we cannot afford to squander.

If members of Congress try to delay, block or reject the emerging P5+1 agreement with Iran, hoping that more sanctions will lead to a better deal, they are dangerously mistaken. 

The agreement that is taking shape would block Iran’s major potential pathways to nuclear weapons development—the uranium-enrichment route and the plutonium-separation route—and guard against a clandestine weapons program. It will establish strict limits on Iran’s nuclear program for more than 10 years, and perhaps up to 15 years.

Among other things, the deal will require Iran to significantly reduce its potential output of weapons-grade plutonium; strengthen International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, inspection authority on a permanent basis; limit Iran’s uranium enrichment to normal reactor-grade levels and cut its overall enrichment capacity by more than half, so that it would take Iran 12 months or more to produce enough weapons-grade enriched-uranium gas for one nuclear weapon. That is more than enough time to detect and disrupt any effort to develop nuclear weapons.

(RelatedWhy America’s Obsession With Iran’s Centrifuges Could Give Tehran)

In February, the P5+1 countries and Iran further narrowed their differences on remaining gaps. The two sides are close to concluding a detailed political framework agreement by the end of March -- perhaps sooner -- with a final, complete agreement by the end of June.

This week, Secretary of State John Kerry rejoined talks in Geneva to try to bridge remaining differences, which appear to involve the timing of lifting sanctions, the duration and phasing of the agreement, and limits on advanced centrifuge research and development.

Unfortunately, some senators are threatening to advance new Iran sanctions legislation. Some proponents of the new sanctions legislation, including Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., say quite plainly that their aim is to “blow up” the negotiations. 

Last week, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., introduced legislation that would halt the implementation of any comprehensive P5+1 nuclear deal with Iran until Congress has a chance for an up-or-down vote. The bill includes several poison pill presidential certification provisions, outside the scope of the nuclear issue, including Iran's record on supporting terrorism. Following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress on Tuesday, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would debate a bill on the Senate floor next week.

These proposals have drawn veto threats from President Barack Obama – and for good reason. With an effective deal in sight, it would be irresponsible to initiate additional sanctions legislation or try to block implementation of an effective agreement soon after it is concluded. It would give Iran an excuse to walk away from the agreement, negotiations would break down, Iran would quickly expand its nuclear capacity and shorten its breakout timeline to mere weeks, the international sanctions regime would crumble, and the risk of a military conflict and a nuclear-armed Iran would grow.

Unfortunately, Netanyahu is pushing Congress in this direction. He claims in hyperbolic terms that the deal-in-the-making just isn’t good enough. He believes that additional pressure, through still tougher sanctions, will somehow persuade Iran’s leaders to dismantle their major nuclear facilities entirely. That’s a dangerous fantasy.

In 2005, when Iran had a few hundred centrifuges, insisting on zero enrichment in a nuclear deal may have been possible. Ten years and 19,000 centrifuges later, it is not. 

Even if Iran completely "dismantled" its nuclear infrastructure, it could rebuild it. For about a decade, Iran has had the basic capacity to produce bomb grade nuclear material for weapons. Tougher sanctions or a military strike will not eliminate the knowledge and basic industrial capacity.

Congress has many ways to responsibly and constructively weigh-in. In the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., and Ranking Member Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., are taking a different and more constructive approach than their Senate colleagues. They are circulating a letter to the president stating that a nuclear agreement with Iran “must constrain Iran’s nuclear infrastructure so that Iran has no pathway to a bomb, and that agreement must be long lasting.” The letter reiterates that sanctions on Iran cannot be permanently lifted without Congress passing new legislation to repeal them and Congress will only consider permanent sanctions relief if an agreement forecloses “any pathway [for Iran] to a bomb.”

The agreement will not deliver everything the P5+1 countries want. But based on the signs emerging from the talks, it looks to be an effective approach that would effectively block Iran’s nuclear weapons potential for many years to come.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.