In a major setback to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear capability, the US has agreed to drop its key demand to inspect Iran’s nuclear sites. Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu slammed the “potholes in the nuclear talks,” emphasizing that this has now gone from a “bad deal” to a “worse deal.”
In a stunning development, the US has agreed to Iran’s demand to drop inspections of nuclear sites from any final deal over its nuclear program, according to Israel’s Channel 1. The goal of the talks involving Iran and the US, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia is a deal that would limit Tehran’s ability to produce nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief.
According to the New York Times, Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final word on all public matters in Iran, demanded that most sanctions be lifted before Tehran has dismantled part of its nuclear infrastructure and before international inspectors verify that the country is beginning to meet its commitments.
He also ruled out any freeze on Iran’s sensitive nuclear enrichment for as long as a decade, and he repeated his refusal to allow inspections of Iranian military sites.
Reports have also surfaced that US President Barack Obama has sent a private letter to Iran’s leadership. Its contents have yet to be disclosed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C), chairman of the Israeli parliament Yuli Edelstein (L) and head of the Foreign Affairs and Defense committee, Tzachi Hanegbi (R). (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)
At the start of a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “I am not impressed by the potholes in the nuclear talks. To my regret, what we are seeing are Iran’s increasing demands, and the major powers’ concessions which are also increasing, in keeping with the Iranian pressure. This agreement is going from a bad agreement to a worse agreement, and is becoming worse by the day. In effect, it is paving Iran’s way to being not only a major power with one or two nuclear bombs, but with an unlimited arsenal within a decade with the possibility of achieving several atomic bombs beforehand, by violating the monitoring which, in any case, is full of holes. Above all, in addition to this, the agreement also gives Iran many billions of dollars, apparently hundreds of billions of dollars, within a short time, which will allow it to finance its increasing aggression, first of all the murderous stranglehold it is using around the State of Israel, but also in other parts of the Middle East that are subject to its aggression, such as Yemen, Iraq and many other places.
“Therefore, there is both a conventional threat and a non-conventional threat, which in my view will heighten the nuclear arms race in the Middle East. For all of these reasons, this is a bad agreement. I appreciate the fact that there is a broad consensus within the State of Israel against this agreement. There are also increasing voices in the West against this agreement; they understand the significance its implementation would have on global security, theirs as well. But, as has been said, this debate is still taking place. I think it is important that Israel’s voice be heard, along with that of many others.”
By: United with Israel Staff
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