Senator Tom Cotton, writing for the Washington Examiner:
We are on the cusp of the latest deadline for a final agreement over Iran’s nuclear weapons program. In the next few days, we may see a signed deal that reflects the framework announced by the Obama administration and Iranian negotiators back in April. It is an emerging agreement that almost no one, including former advisers to President Obama, believes would be a strong deal that sufficiently advances U.S. interests and bolsters our national security.
Indeed, the ayatollahs would have good reason to celebrate. They will likely be able to trumpet an internationally recognized right to enrich nuclear material, Iran’s reentry into the global economy, the right to maintain a hardened underground research facility, the ability to stiff-arm international inspections and a 10 to 15-year glide path toward an unfettered nuclear program.
Such a deal would satisfy the ayatollahs’ dual strategic goals of eliminating the international sanctions regime that has hampered Iran’s economy and maintaining nuclear weapons breakout capability. The achievement of both goals would significantly enhance Iran’s regional influence, insulate it from outside pressure and more deeply entrench the revolutionary regime of the ayatollahs.
But what would the United States — and our friends and allies around the world — have to show for it? In the end, close to nothing. The deal as currently envisioned would represent a near-complete strategic defeat for the United States. In short, it would be a “we give, the ayatollahs get” scenario.
Indeed, the ayatollahs would have good reason to celebrate. They will likely be able to trumpet an internationally recognized right to enrich nuclear material, Iran’s reentry into the global economy, the right to maintain a hardened underground research facility, the ability to stiff-arm international inspections and a 10 to 15-year glide path toward an unfettered nuclear program.
Such a deal would satisfy the ayatollahs’ dual strategic goals of eliminating the international sanctions regime that has hampered Iran’s economy and maintaining nuclear weapons breakout capability. The achievement of both goals would significantly enhance Iran’s regional influence, insulate it from outside pressure and more deeply entrench the revolutionary regime of the ayatollahs.
But what would the United States — and our friends and allies around the world — have to show for it? In the end, close to nothing. The deal as currently envisioned would represent a near-complete strategic defeat for the United States. In short, it would be a “we give, the ayatollahs get” scenario.
Whole thing here.
