Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday defended the Iran nuclear agreement as “comprehensive, verifiable, effective and of lasting duration,” dismissed criticisms of the deal as “myths” that must be dispelled, and said the deal would rein in Iran more than sanctions alone ever could.
In a speech at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Kerry also downplayed the idea that the deal would put Israel at risk, and said he fully recognizes Israel’s vulnerable position in the Middle East, surrounded by hostile states. Kerry said he takes “a backseat to no one” in his commitment to Israel.
“The people of Israel will be safer with this deal, and so will the people throughout the region,” he said.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been an outspoken critic of the deal, and has said it would pave Iran’s way to a bomb after a decade or so. But Kerry repeated the administration’s line that the deal at least forces Iran to abandon its plans for a nuclear weapon for that time.
“It just doesn’t make sense to vote no now for what might happen in 15 years,” Kerry said, arguing that Iran will continue on its path to the bomb if a deal is not reached.
He added that it’s a myth that the deal is built on trusting Iran, an argument opponents have put forward. “The Iran agreement is based on proof, not trust,” he said.
Kerry’s speech was aimed at building support for the agreement, although earlier in the morning, the Obama administration won the support of their 34th Democratic senator, which will ensure the Iran deal can survive congressional consideration. Many of the 10 remaining undecided Democrats are also expected to announce their support for the deal.
Kerry’s speech was immediately criticized by Republicans.
“Forcing a bad deal, over the objections of the American people and a majority in Congress, is no win for President Obama,” said Cory Fritz, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. “The White House may have convinced just enough Democrats to back an agreement that legitimizes Iran’s nuclear program, trusts the regime to self-inspect and offers amnesty to terrorists, but this deal is far from being implemented.”
The administration has been trying to make its case in the face of constant GOP criticism, and Kerry continued that strategy on Wednesday. Kerry said that without the deal, Iran would have several potential pathways to a bomb, but with it, “they won’t have any.”
Without a deal, Iran could produce a bomb in two months, but Kerry said the agreement will slow that path to a bomb to a year. He said the agreement will reduce Iran’s centrifuges by two-thirds, and that sanctions can “snap-back” if Iran does not follow through on its promises.
Critics of the deal must confront “the reality of how advanced Iran’s nuclear program had become,” Kerry stressed.
He also said he and President Obama “are convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the framework we have put forward will get the job done,” and cited dozens of scientists and former top national security officials and ambassadors in support of the deal.
“The benefits of this agreement far outweigh any potential drawbacks,” he said.
Republicans have said the U.S. would be better off re-imposing tough sanctions against Iran. But the administration has argued it’s too late for sanctions, since many other foreign countries would not agree to join the United States. Kerry also noted that while the world imposed one of the toughest sanctions regimes ever developed, sanctions failed to “slow, let alone halt” Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon.
Iran had already stockpiled enough enriched uranium for up to a dozen bombs, enriched uranium to just below weapons grade level, and installed 10,000 centrifuges despite those harsh economic sanctions, he said.
Iran had already successfully transformed itself into a nuclear threshold state, Kerry said. But he said Iran had complied with every point of the plan for 15 months now, and cited that as evidence of Iran’s willingness to work with the International Atomic Energy Agency protocol.
IAEA inspectors will be able to access Iran’s nuclear facilities and visit any suspicious sites, Kerry said. Inspectors can “go wherever the evidence leads” in investigating whether Iran is upholding their end of the deal, which Kerry emphasized gave them “unprecedented” access.
To those who are critical that the deal allows 24 days before IAEA inspectors can visit Iranian sites, Kerry said that “you can’t eliminate” the “tell-tale traces” of fissile nuclear activity — even in as long a period as 24 months.
“You can bet that if we see something, we will do something,” said Kerry, who said the administration has a “zero-tolerance” policy with Iran.
