Posted on 06/11/2014 9:58:06 AM PDT by DanMiller
Will "moderate" Iran be moderate in its development and use of nukes? As the Iran Scam pushed by President Obama continues to fester, there is little reason to expect actual moderation.
Prologue
In November of last year, soon after the English language text of the "deal" with Iran became available, I posted One small Lurch for Obama, Giant Leaps for Iran. It pointed out that the "deal" guaranteed Iran's right to continue enriching Uranium. The preamble states:
This comprehensive solution would enable Iran to fully enjoy its right to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes under the relevant articles of the NPT in conformity with its obligations therein. This comprehensive solution would involve a mutually defined enrichment programme with practical limits and transparency measures to ensure the peaceful nature of the programme. [Emphasis added.]
In later articles about the Iran Scam, here, here, here and here, I observed that the "deal" involves neither Iran's military sites nor its continued development of missiles to deliver nukes. With neither of those involved, it cannot reasonably be expected that it will terminate Iran's "moderate" nukes program.
Here's what Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu told the United Nations several months ago. Please listen to what he said then; it remains true today.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsG88a6IPl0]
Unfortunately and as noted above, last November's "deal" with Iran expressly contemplates Iran's continued enrichment of Uranium
Here's what "moderate" Iranian President Rouhani said shortly before being elected about how Iran had tricked negotiators and continued its nuke development during earlier negotiations which he had led.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwsIJbch69c]
Did he have an epiphany just before or during the P5 +1 negotiations? Did his Supreme Leader? Not likely.
With President Rouhani's Charmin offensive, the situation continues to evolve in "moderate" Iran's favor.
The Charmin originated where it usually goes after being used.Where will it go when Iran finishes with it?
Under Iranian President Rouhani, "moderate" Iran has not become more moderate domestically.
Internationally, the Islamic Republic of Iran is still basking in having falsely attained a “moderate” status for President Hassan Rouhani and a seat on five sub-committees of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, including the Commission on the Status of Women. Inside Iran, however, daily life still consists of systematic arrest, torture, persecution of minorities and accelerated executions. [Emphasis added.]. . . .
According to the Boroumand Foundation in Washington D.C., there have been 11 unofficial executions reported for June, and a total of 340 officially documented for 2014.
. . . .
That comes to, on average, 17 persons hanged each week by the Islamic Republic — a number equal to the executions in 2010 after the 2009 uprisings during President Mahmoud Ahamdinejad’s far-from-moderate-reign.
The Islamic Republic continues to exterminate its political prisoners silently, through well-planned and prolonged torture that includes denial of medications and medical treatment — to kill the prisoner without formal execution. This practice has not changed since Rouhani’s election; many prisoners claim that since his arrival, the situation is even worse. [Emphasis added.]
The only difference seems to be that now prisoners are taken to hospital, photographed in an examination gown and returned to prison without treatment. This charade is intended to create the appearance that the prisoner was treated in order to appease human rights organizations. [Emphasis added.]
Such matters, possibly viewed as trivial, did not keep President Obama from giving Iran a six month respite on oil sanctions.
The sanctions relief comes on the heels of Iran’s Ayatollah openly stating that he did not believe the U.S. would ever consider a military strike to thwart Tehran’s nuclear capabilities. The Ayatollah stood on a podium surrounded by banners that read, “America cannot do a damn thing.”Recently, the Ayatollah, Iran’s chief decision maker and ultimate authority, stressed that Iran would defeat “evil” America through endless “battle and jihad.”
After Khamenei announced for the world to hear that he intends to defeat America, while at West Point, President Obama spoke of the Iranian nuclear program. He stated, “Now we have an opportunity to resolve our differences peacefully.”
Others are also breaching the sanctions, Turkey for example:
Turkey has been implicated in multiple sanctions-busting schemes that have helped Iran illicitly rake in cash despite U.S. sanctions.. . . .
Trade between the two nations hit $2.1 billion in January and February and both nations have vowed to increase the level of trade to $30 billion by 2015. [Emphasis added.]
. . . .
“All of this comes amidst reports of massive sanctions busting facilitated by Turkey on behalf of Iran. First there was the gas-for-gold scheme where Turkey helped Iran pocket some $12 billion in oil sales,” said Jonathan Schanzer, vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). “This was followed up by revelations of sanctions busting on the part of Iranian businessmen in Turkey to the tune of €87 billion.”
China has exported arms to Iran, and last month expressed anger after Washington laid charges against a Chinese businessman accused of allegedly procuring missile parts for Iran.Last month, Iran terminated China National Petroleum Corp’s (CNPC) contract to develop the Azadegan oilfield after the Chinese energy giant ignored repeated appeals to work on it.
China and Iran have close energy and trade ties, and Beijing has repeatedly resisted US-led demands to impose tougher economic sanctions on Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions.
There are others, but the trends seem very clear.
An article titled Iran's rulers say "Yes, we can!" points out that
At this moment, it would make sense for Iran’s rulers to soothe and reassure their American interlocutors. Why are they provoking and taunting them instead?
Because they can. Because they are convinced that the U.S. government is as feckless and self-deluding today as it was when “America cannot do a damn thing” was first proclaimed, 35 years ago this fall, by Iran’s revolutionary leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, after his followers seized the American Embassy in Tehran and took the diplomats working there hostage. [Emphasis added.]
At the mausoleum last week, the current supreme leader triumphantly told Iran’s uniformed, religious and political elites that the military option President Barack Obama has often said is “on the table” is now in the trash bin of history. [Emphasis added.]
Continuing His own misguided role in accommodating Iran, President Obama has been instrumental in helping Iran to seduce Saudi Arabia.
Last month, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel visited Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh in a quest to establish a détente between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Hagel got his cue from earlier remarks made by Iran’s President Rouhani, suggesting that Iran would like to improve its ties with Saudi Arabia.It seems that the Obama administration is now serving as an agent for Iran. The Islamic Republic that has encouraged street demonstrations calling for “death to America,” is the same regime that has been working hard to remove U.S. influence in the region. Iran is an oppressive and radical Islamic state backing the Assad regime in Syria which murdered over 200,000 of its own people, and used chemical agents to poison thousands of innocent civilians. The Obama administration has hitherto not been able to stop the Tehran regime from producing advanced centrifuges. Iran has continued its quest for nuclear weapons, despite its ongoing nuclear talks with the P5+1 (U.S. China, Russia, Britain, France, and Germany).
Saudi-Iranian reconciliation talks are scheduled to take place in the middle of June, and the Obama administration hopes for a new era in the relationship between the two Gulf powers. The Saudis are less than thrilled about the impending talks. Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi political analyst, is skeptical about the talks, pointing out that “Iran has occupied Syria,” and is backing the Assad regime. He added that, the “Iranians want to drag us into an extended dialogue and divert attention from the core issue of Syria.” [Emphasis added.]
. . . .
Iran’s efforts to cozy up to the Gulf States and Saudi Arabia in particular, are aimed at isolating Israel and preventing what has been rumored to be a secret Israeli-Saudi understanding that would enable Israel to use Saudi airspace in an attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities. [Emphasis added.]
. . . .
In entering negotiations and signing the interim nuclear agreement with the P5+1, Iran has neutralized the U.S. and its allies from using the military option against it. This one-sided détente between the U.S. and Iran has apparently convinced the Saudis to change course. Pressured by its so-called ally, the U.S., to improve relations with Iran, Riyadh has realized that it is time to play along with Washington. [Emphasis added.]
. . . .
In legitimizing Iran, the Obama administration is either naïve in its belief that it can change the nature of the Iranian regime, or miscalculating in its attempt to create a “new equilibrium.” Iran will continue to support Hezbollah and Hamas’ terror against Israel, and deny Israel’s right to exist.
Here's a YouTube video of a November 2013 interview with Robert Perry that seems favorable to President Obama's goals and His animosity toward Saudi Arabia back when she aligned with Israel in opposition to the P5 + 1 "deal."
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJG1ZLZ0FtQ]
Now the Obama Administration is pushing hard for a final "deal" with Iran before July 20th.
With the first deadline for either concluding or extending the talks — as delineated in an earlier interim deal between Iran and world powers – looming less than six weeks away, the US negotiating team brought in veteran negotiators on Monday to help tie up loose ends.State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said that the inclusion of Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Jake Sullivan, the vice president’s national security adviser, was due to their history of negotiating with the Iranians, and their familiarity with the people involved in the talks.
“This is just another diplomatic avenue through which we are trying to test whether we can get this done by the 20th [of July],” Harf explained during a press briefing Monday. She added that while US officials were still comfortable with the talks’ current timeline, they knew that they “don’t have a lot of time left” and thus planned to step up diplomacy to encourage “tough choices.”
France seems to be concerned about Iran's centrifuges.
Iran has around 19,000 centrifuges, of which roughly 10,000 are operating, according to the U.N. nuclear agency.[Emphasis added.]. . . .
“We are still hitting a wall on one absolutely fundamental point which is the number of centrifuges which allow enrichment,” Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told France Inter radio. “We say that there can be a few hundred centrifuges, but the Iranians want thousands so we’re not in the same framework.” [Emphasis added.]
The Obama Administration's position, if any, is unclear.
Why do President Obama, et al, desperately want a "deal" with Iran that will not keep it from becoming a nuclear power? Is that part of the Obama Doctrine? Just as His visceral reaction to the ransoming of Sgt. Bergdahl was abnormal,
Obama didn’t have a normal visceral reaction to the 9/11 attack in Benghazi, either. Any normal person would have rushed to his post in the Situation Room to oversee a rescue attempt. On that one, Obama skipped the Situation Room entirely, and the rescue attempt, and went to bed to get his beauty sleep for a Vegas fundraiser. Something is off.. . . .
Obama does not have normal visceral reactions to jihadi groups.
Our president worked to install terrorists in power in Egypt, where they had been successfully suppressed for sixty years. He helped depose our ally Mubarak and did his best to hand over Egypt to the Muslim Brothers, a Nazi-jihadi group dedicated to sharia law, the worldwide caliphate, and killing all the Jews on the planet. Obama is still punishing Egypt for rising up and getting rid of the Brothers, by withholding military aid. This is not appeasement; it is not even collaboration – it is working for your enemy’s cause.
Likely consequences?
Here's an Iranian video with a simulation of an Iranian nuclear attack on Israel:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94a3236AcUQ]
If Iran gets (or gets to keep) nukes, will it stop with Israel? Why, in Iran's view, should it?
The P5 +1 November 2013 deal established the framework for the clusterdunk that the negotiations have become. The "deal" started out bad and continues to worsen. The only way it can contribute to world peace is through its termination, accompanied by credible threats of military action.
Iran's supreme leader reiterated the claim that "America can't do a damn thing." He was partially right: American could but the United States of Obama won't. By January of 2017, when President Obama leaves office, it may well be too late.
Not to worry.
Obama probably has already made a side deal to send the rest of the Gitmo terrorists to Iran.
Details are sketchy because there is still an ongoing Bypass of Congress, of course.
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