Weekly Commentary: Why Obama’s Insistence that Iran Freeze Worked Scares Me

Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 29 February 2015

A word to the Obama supporters as we wade through this slugfest over our
take on the deal that’s being ostensibly finalized with Iran:

There is something you don’t need any special security clearance for in
order to know there’s a serious problem with it:

And that’s the assertion by President Obama that the “Joint Action Plan”
that set interim limits on Iran was effective.

This is going to take a couple of sentences – please walk through this with
me:

Back on November 23, 2013 The White House Office of the Press Secretary
issued a “Fact Sheet: First Step Understandings Regarding the Islamic
Republic of Iran’s Nuclear Program”

The Fact Sheet claimed that “Iran has committed to halt progress on its
enrichment capacity”

But then it DEFINED this as being:
- Not install additional centrifuges of any type.
- Not install or use any next-generation centrifuges to enrich uranium.
- Leave inoperable roughly half of installed centrifuges at Natanz and
three-quarters of nstalled centrifuges at Fordow, so they cannot be used to
enrich uranium.
- Limit its centrifuge production to those needed to replace damaged
machines, so Iran cannot use the six months to stockpile centrifuges.
- Not construct additional enrichment facilities.

Now here is the wording from the actual agreement:

Geneva, 24 November 2013
Joint Plan of Action
…
Iran will continue its safeguarded R&D practices, including its current
enrichment R&D practices, which are not designed for accumulation of the
enriched uranium.
===

From day one critics of the arrangement emphasized that this was by no means
a true HALT in PROGRESS ON ITS ENRICHMENT CAPACITY”

And the critics were correct.

Iran has BOASTED that it has dramatically increased its enrichment capacity
by producing centrifuges that are generations more advanced and more
efficient than the damaged machines they are ostensibly replacing. Iran is
PROUD OF ITS R&D ACHIEVEMENTS so that its enrichment capacity can be further
increased. That’s PROGRESS!!

And that’s the ONLY TECHNOLOGICAL/MECHANICAL feature of Iran’s nuclear
program that was subject to any restriction during this period.

Iran BOASTS that it has made tremendous progress in its missile program to
deliver nuclear warheads anywhere in the world. This week they even
announced plans to build a submarine armed with cruise missiles.

Nothing has apparently also interfered with Iranian work on the technology
for the design and fabrication of nuclear warheads.

And that’s why Mr. Obama terrifies me.

Because if the “Joint Plan of Action“ has been a fantastic success -- we
can’t afford any more such Obama team “successes”.

Dr. Aaron Lerner
________________________________________
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis

Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on Arab-Israeli relations

Website: www.imra.org.il