In an editorial for the new issue of THE WEEKLY STANDARD, Bill Kristol notes the “ludicrous” “guarantee” Secretary of State John Kerry made last week regarding Iran’s so-called breakout capacity towards nuclear weapons. Kerry told Israelis:
This is not the first time Kerry has used the word “guarantee” in reference to the Iran nuclear deal. A month ago, in an interview with PBS’s Judy Woodruff, Kerry responded as follows when Woodruff asked if this deal was more about delaying Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons than about denying those weapons altogether:
As Kristol points out in his editorial, absolute guarantees when it comes to Iran’s nuclear progress are wishful thinking at best. And even though the deal purportedly binds Iran for 10 years, Kerry sanguinely extends his “guarantee” to “15 to 20 years.”
In any case, as with all guarantees, it’s the fine print that matters. And with the extent of Congress’s oversight of the proposed deal still in doubt, it remains to be seen whether or not anyone will read that fine print before a final deal with Iran is signed.