Ho-Hum: An Iran "Deal"

Except it isn't, apparently: it's not an actual agreement to do anything except meet and talk further along certain lines. It sounds like there's some lack of agreement about what lines those are:
Following the signing of an interim agreement with Iran aimed at scaling back its nuclear work, Iran accused the United States of lying about details of the agreement.

On Thursday evening, Zarif told reporters the latest agreement allows Iran to keep operating its nuclear program.

“None of those measures” that will move to scale back Iran’s program “include closing any of our facilities,” Zarif said. “We will continue enriching; we will continue research and development.”

“Our heavy water reactor will be modernized and we will continue the Fordow facility,” Zarif said. “We will have centrifuges installed in Fordow, but not enriching.”

The move to allow Iran to keep centrifuges at Fordow, a controversial onetime military site, has elicited concern that Tehran could ramp up its nuclear work with ease.
Sounds like he's re-opening negotiations to me. So instead of the deal by 31 March -- another American 'red line' passes away without even a whimper of enforcement -- we get another few weeks in which Iran will make additional demands and claim they were already agreed to in order to set the stage for the next round.

Israel's not happy, but I don't see that they have anything more to be unhappy about today than yesterday. A framework isn't a deal. When parties to it are contesting the content using words like "lying," it isn't even a framework.

3 comments:

Texan99 said...

I never thought there would be a deal that should be taken seriously; the only question is whether and when sanctions will be relaxed. That's a measure that will have some effect in the real world. The rest of this is PR and fantasy.

Grim said...

I expect you're right. Even if we get a final bill, the only part that will really come to be for the next two years will be our concessions to Iran.

Grim said...

Er, deal, not bill. Been up too late watching the General Assembly.