You know Israel was definitely part of this deal and knowing what a two faced a’hole Bibi is, he agreed but like to put on his GWB swagger for the press,
I am just surprised this isn’t the headline story here on TPM
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Oh goodie…the wingnuts on the Senate Foreign Relations and Armageddon Committee, and all those on the far right, now have all of Passover, Good Friday and Easter Sunday to firmly come out against this plan, and declare they’re in favor of war with Iran instead…because, if Obama is for it, they’re sure to be against it. Simple wingnut thinking.
You can bet the Sunday blabfests this Easter Sunday will be filled with the usual warmongers and a warm plate of cognitive dissonance. Not one of them will have an alternative to this plan, other than some vague form of American chest-pounding, and allusions to our military prowess as our only and best option.
Simply put, this plan won’t stop any of the critics or rightwing demagogues with their unwillingness to see Iran as nothing more than the ‘axis of evil’ no matter what’s on the table. Nor will any Sunday host, who most likely will only invite on a majority of critics to discuss this issue, be able to press any of them on a concrete alternative. In reality, those critics have nothing of substance to offer as an alternative or they would have done so by now. Constant threats of bombing is not a viable plan, no matter how hard they try to sell that shit. Oh, and followup questions are just soooo messy, so don’t expect that either. Republicans have yet to learn, when you divide by zero, you still get zero.
Plus, it’ll be interesting to see how their paneled guests will quickly flip the script in defense of false piety, just in time to discuss Indiana’s anti-gay law. After all, everyone knows, true Christians are the real victims here, all of whom need to be able to practice state sanctioned discrimination in order to be held up as ‘good’ Christians in good standing with their faith.
Actually, I won’t be watching any of those shows. I’ve learned how dangerous whiplash can be.
BTW, an early Happy Holidays to all…and I if you happen to celebrate Nowruz…Hope this news brings a Happy New Years to all of you as well. Peace.
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Yeah - like that’s the point
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So what? There is nothing they can do to stop this agreement and the smarter ones among them know it, Once Europe lifts sanctions, it really doesn’t matter whether the US does or not.
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Agree, and whatever it took to take this far in the process, I hope it boosts the comfort level of Iran, Israel and the Gulf states and encourages them to to start thinking like neighbors who need to live together…
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Well, it’s an important deal but let’s not get carried away…
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Oh, intentionally or not, Netanyahu and the GOP have definitely played “bad cop” to probably good effect. But I think both went rather too far for me, at least, to believe it was done in cahoots with Obama.
And yes, I saw that piece of Josh’s, and a few others that made similar observations. All these years it’s been essential for Bibi to appear at least minimally credible regarding his desire for peace in order to convince enough people here of his sincerity that he could sustain more or less unqualified American support. Hence, he’s always needed to form governments that weren’t completely hard-right. But given his actions over the years wrt the Palestinians, the settlements, and the prospect of negotiations, it seems pretty clear that those more moderate partners weren’t picked to help him make peace. His current predicament is the result (obviously) of his recent cocky overreach here and in the campaign, and of his dropping the mask in his desperation to win. Now he’s just as desperate to put the mask back on, but it’s not easy for people to forget what his face actually looks like. FDR actually wanted to do the stuff he was asking people to make him do.
Yup, interesting times; and if the militaristic right don’t screw things up, just maybe we’ll get lucky and it won’t be in that Chinese-curse way…
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This is good news for two reasons: the deal slows the pace of nuclear proliferation, and the entire world has told Tom Cotton to be quiet because the adults are trying to talk.
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For reference …
Here ya’ go…
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
April 02, 2015
[Parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Nuclear Program][1]
Below are the key parameters of a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear program that were decided in Lausanne, Switzerland. These elements form the foundation upon which the final text of the JCPOA will be written between now and June 30, and reflect the significant progress that has been made in discussions between the P5+1, the European Union, and Iran. Important implementation details are still subject to negotiation, and nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. We will work to conclude the JCPOA based on these parameters over the coming months.
- Enrichment
- Iran has agreed to reduce by approximately two-thirds its installed
centrifuges. Iran will go from having about 19,000 installed today to
6,104 installed under the deal, with only 5,060 of these enriching
uranium for 10 years. All 6,104 centrifuges will be IR-1s, Iran’s
first-generation centrifuge.
- Iran has agreed to not enrich uranium over 3.67 percent for at least
15 years.
- Iran has agreed to reduce its current stockpile of about 10,000 kg of
low-enriched uranium (LEU) to 300 kg of 3.67 percent LEU for 15
years.
- All excess centrifuges and enrichment infrastructure will be placed
in IAEA monitored storage and will be used only as replacements for
operating centrifuges and equipment.
- Iran has agreed to not build any new facilities for the purpose of
enriching uranium for 15 years
.
- Iran’s breakout timeline – the time that it would take for Iran to
acquire enough fissile material for one weapon – is currently
assessed to be 2 to 3 months. That timeline will be extended to at
least one year, for a duration of at least ten years, under this
framework.
Iran will convert its facility at Fordow so that it is no longer used to enrich uranium
- Iran has agreed to not enrich uranium at its Fordow facility for at
least 15 years.
- Iran has agreed to convert its Fordow facility so that it is used for
peaceful purposes only into a nuclear, physics, technology, research
center.
- Iran has agreed to not conduct research and development associated
with uranium enrichment at Fordow for 15 years.
- Iran will not have any fissile material at Fordow for 15 years.
- Almost two-thirds of Fordow’s centrifuges and infrastructure will be
removed. The remaining centrifuges will not enrich uranium. All
centrifuges and related infrastructure will be placed under IAEA
monitoring.
Iran will only enrich uranium at the Natanz facility, with only 5,060 IR-1 first-generation centrifuges for ten years.
- Iran has agreed to only enrich uranium using its first generation
(IR-1 models) centrifuges at Natanz for ten years, removing its more
advanced centrifuges.
- Iran will remove the 1,000 IR-2M centrifuges currently installed at
Natanz and place them in IAEA monitored storage for ten years.
- Iran will not use its IR-2, IR-4, IR-5, IR-6, or IR-8 models to
produce enriched uranium for at least ten years. Iran will engage in
limited research and development with its advanced centrifuges,
according to a schedule and parameters which have been agreed to by
the P5+1.
- For ten years, enrichment and enrichment research and development
will be limited to ensure a breakout timeline of at least 1 year.
Beyond 10 years, Iran will abide by its enrichment and enrichment R&D
plan submitted to the IAEA, and pursuant to the JCPOA, under the
Additional Protocol resulting in certain limitations on enrichment
capacity.
Inspections and Transparency
- The IAEA will have regular access to all of Iran’s nuclear
facilities, including to Iran’s enrichment facility at Natanz and its
former enrichment facility at Fordow, and including the use of the
most up-to-date, modern monitoring technologies.
- Inspectors will have access to the supply chain that supports Iran’s
nuclear program. The new transparency and inspections mechanisms will
closely monitor materials and/or components to prevent diversion to a
secret program.
- Inspectors will have access to uranium mines and continuous
surveillance at uranium mills, where Iran produces yellowcake, for 25
years.
- Inspectors will have continuous surveillance of Iran’s centrifuge
rotors and bellows production and storage facilities for 20 years.
Iran’s centrifuge manufacturing base will be frozen and under
continuous surveillance.
- All centrifuges and enrichment infrastructure removed from Fordow and
Natanz will be placed under continuous monitoring by the IAEA.
- A dedicated procurement channel for Iran’s nuclear program will be
established to monitor and approve, on a case by case basis, the
supply, sale, or transfer to Iran of certain nuclear-related and dual
use materials and technology – an additional transparency measure.
- Iran has agreed to implement the Additional Protocol of the IAEA,
providing the IAEA much greater access and information regarding
Iran’s nuclear program, including both declared and undeclared
facilities.
- Iran will be required to grant access to the IAEA to investigate
suspicious sites or allegations of a covert enrichment facility,
conversion facility, centrifuge production facility, or yellowcake
production facility anywhere in the country.
- Iran has agreed to implement Modified Code 3.1 requiring early
notification of construction of new facilities.
- Iran will implement an agreed set of measures to address the IAEA’s
concerns regarding the Possible Military Dimensions (PMD) of its
program.
Reactors and Reprocessing
- Iran has agreed to redesign and rebuild a heavy water research
reactor in Arak, based on a design that is agreed to by the P5+1,
which will not produce weapons grade plutonium, and which will
support peaceful nuclear research and radioisotope production.
- The original core of the reactor, which would have enabled the
production of significant quantities of weapons-grade plutonium, will
be destroyed or removed from the country.
- Iran will ship all of its spent fuel from the reactor out of the
country for the reactor’s lifetime.
- Iran has committed indefinitely to not conduct reprocessing or
reprocessing research and development on spent nuclear fuel.
- Iran will not accumulate heavy water in excess of the needs of the
modified Arak reactor, and will sell any remaining heavy water on the
international market for 15 years.
- Iran will not build any additional heavy water reactors for 15 years.
Sanctions
- Iran will receive sanctions relief, if it verifiably abides by its
commitments.
- U.S. and E.U. nuclear-related sanctions will be suspended after the
IAEA has verified that Iran has taken all of its key nuclear-related
steps. If at any time Iran fails to fulfill its commitments, these
sanctions will snap back into place.
- The architecture of U.S. nuclear-related sanctions on Iran will be
retained for much of the duration of the deal and allow for snap-back
of sanctions in the event of significant non-performance.
- All past UN Security Council resolutions on the Iran nuclear issue
will be lifted simultaneous with the completion, by Iran, of
nuclear-related actions addressing all key concerns (enrichment,
Fordow, Arak, PMD, and transparency).
- However, core provisions in the UN Security Council resolutions –
those that deal with transfers of sensitive technologies and
activities – will be re-established by a new UN Security Council
resolution that will endorse the JCPOA and urge its full
implementation. It will also create the procurement channel mentioned
above, which will serve as a key transparency measure. Important
restrictions on conventional arms and ballistic missiles, as well as
provisions that allow for related cargo inspections and asset
freezes, will also be incorporated by this new resolution.
- A dispute resolution process will be specified, which enables any
JCPOA participant, to seek to resolve disagreements about the
performance of JCPOA commitments.
- If an issue of significant non-performance cannot be resolved through
that process, then all previous UN sanctions could be re-imposed.
- U.S. sanctions on Iran for terrorism, human rights abuses, and
ballistic missiles will remain in place under the deal.
Phasing
- For ten years, Iran will limit domestic enrichment capacity and
research and development – ensuring a breakout timeline of at least
one year. Beyond that, Iran will be bound by its longer-term
enrichment and enrichment research and development plan it shared
with the P5+1.
- For fifteen years, Iran will limit additional elements of its
program. For instance, Iran will not build new enrichment facilities
or heavy water reactors and will limit its stockpile of enriched
uranium and accept enhanced transparency procedures.
- Important inspections and transparency measures will continue well
beyond 15 years. Iran’s adherence to the Additional Protocol of the
IAEA is permanent, including its significant access and transparency
obligations. The robust inspections of Iran’s uranium supply chain
will last for 25 years.
- Even after the period of the most stringent limitations on Iran’s
nuclear program, Iran will remain a party to the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which prohibits Iran’s development or
acquisition of nuclear weapons and requires IAEA safeguards on its
nuclear program.
—end cite—
~OGD~
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I can believe that about some Dems and Angus King; but given how far they went, it’s hard for me to believe it about the GOP and Bibi. Though they probably did serve the purpose of reminding Iran we have our crazies, too. And they really do need to realize this:
Anyway, the agreement is here and there is really nothing congress can do about it, since Iran doesn’t really care about US sanctions. As long as Europe lifts them, they can sell their oil and buy everything they need there. US-Iran trade never has been significant and never will be, due to simple geography.
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That’s why I appreciate the long timetable for sanctions, inspections, etc. – not only will they outlive most of the mullahs, but also our wingnuts.
And that might be by design: buy some time, cool the temperatures, and let a new generation take the baton.
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President Obama cuts through the sludge that is the other half of our American government and moves America ahead one more giant step.
Besides the nuclear ramifications, this places Iran in a whole different light. They can see the benefits of engaging with the world and in ending the threatening gestures.
This can lead to all sorts of good things.
As for us, it tables the neo-con blather and assures the world that we are bigger and better than the ridiculous Tom Cotton traitorous group letter.
The neo-cons will just have to work on attacking some other innocent nation, again!
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I am working. All I have time for during the day is slash and burn blogging. I will read the stuff tonight.
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It’s a step in that direction, is all I’m saying.
I just heard the finely detailed agreement from Obama and then from Kerry. Sounds like they have Iran very well fenced in! Bravo, Mr. President and kudos to John Kerry!
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Yes, maybe not coordinated with Bibi, but nimbly played off Bibi’s and the neocons’ saber-rattling to advantage
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Oh, that absolutely.
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Interestingly, I just heard re Bibi that he is approving 100,000 new homes for Palestinians, pretty much a first for the Israeli government
Thank you.
By any chance did you hear Iran’s Foreign Minister’s press conference?
I would like to hear how this is being presented domestically by the government of Iran. CNN said people in Iran are celebrating, as this deal will mean the lifting of sanctions.
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Oil prices fell again in the wake of the news of the deal! Thank you, Obama!
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