U.S. Gets Rolled
Diplomacy: Internationalists are cheering a new nuclear deal reached with Iran. But with Tehran getting enriched uranium in exchange for nothing, all it means is that it gets a bomb. This is not smart diplomacy.Feeling vindicated about their policy of engagement with America's enemies, administration officials are expressing "satisfaction" with a just-completed nuclear deal with Iran. A draft of the proposal was hashed out Wednesday in Vienna between Iran, Russia, the U.S. and France.
The draft, which awaits Tehran's approval, is for Russia to purify 75% of Iran's 1.4-ton stockpile of low-enriched uranium to a higher level, with France turning the new material into plates for use in an old U.S.-constructed medical research reactor.
Presumably, the plan would relieve Iran of enough potential bomb-making supplies to ensure it can't make a nuclear weapon.
But the "deal" looks more like a sucker's bargain: Iran gets high-grade enriched uranium with no obligation to halt its nuclear program, as well as technology and legitimacy.
All the West gets is more time. All in all, it looks like diplomats were so eager to make a deal the mullahs rolled them.
The list of potential problems is long. Iran will hand over its enriched uranium for a few months, then get it all back. That's fine for Iran. It won't need enriched material for bombs until the long-range missile system it's working on is ready.
Second, Iran hasn't renounced enrich ment. So while the West lulls itself into a false sense of security that Iran's illegally enriched uranium is now in safer hands, Iran can go right on enriching more . And with recent news of more Iranian enrichment plants surfacing, the pile could grow.
Another problem is Iran's stated purpose for the enrichment: to use it to make medical isotopes. In reality, Iran can do whatever it wants with the Russia-enriched uranium once it has it — such as make a bomb. Where are the controls on that?
The deal also gives Iran a technological edge it hadn't previously had: The fact that Iran couldn't purify uranium to the 5% level a medical reactor needs was a sign its nuclear program wasn't as strong as Tehran claimed. Weapons require 20% purification, and Iran couldn't reach 5%. But it's much easier to reach 20% from 5% than to reach it from Iran's current level. Once Russia extends its aid, Iran could be in better shape than ever to enrich uranium.
Another warning sign comes from Iran's resistance to a French role in shaping the plates. Iran claims France shouldn't do it because of an old trade dispute. That may be a ruse to get the Russian-enriched material back without it defined for a particular use.
Lastly, the fact that Iran has illegally enriched uranium becomes moot if the international community lets Russia enrich it more. It legitimizes Iran's earlier activities, tells rogue states crime pays, and encourages Tehran to continue to break international law.
A diplomatic deal sounds nice, but this one avoids hard choices and can't halt proliferation. In fact, it's wishful thinking reminiscent of Neville Chamberlain, who also wanted a deal at any price.
Talks are there to make the world safe, not to claim a deal. This one has far too much risk. It should be scrapped.
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