A feather in Obama's cap if this manages to stick

Iran nuclear talks: 'Historic' agreement struck



World powers have reached a deal with Iran on limiting Iranian nuclear activity in return for the lifting of international economic sanctions.
Iran's foreign minister called the agreement "historic", saying it opened a "new chapter of hope".

It reportedly gives UN nuclear inspectors extensive but not automatic access to sites within Iran.

Negotiations between Iran and six world powers - the US, UK, France, China and Russia plus Germany - began in 2006.
The so-called P5+1 - want Iran to scale back its sensitive nuclear activities to ensure that it cannot build a nuclear weapon.
Iran, which wants crippling international sanctions lifted, has always insisted that its nuclear work is peaceful.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the deal was "a sign of hope for the entire world".

"It is a decision that can open the way to a new chapter in international relations," she said in comments ahead of a final meeting between negotiators in Vienna.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the deal was "not perfect for anybody'', but that it was the "best achievement possible that could be reached".

Iran's Press TV reported: "Iran has been recognised as nuclear power entitled to fuel cycle and enrichment."
The text of the deal has not been released but these are some of the details it is believed to contain:
A compromise over the inspection of sites within Iran, the Associated Press quotes a diplomat as saying - UN inspectors would be allowed to monitor military sites but Iran could challenge requests for access

Iran has accepted that sanctions could be restored in 65 days if it violates the deal, Reuters cited diplomats as saying
A UN arms embargo and missile sanctions would remain in place for five and eight years respectively, Reuters reports
Sanctions in areas including oil and gas trading, financial transactions, aviation and shipping will be lifted and billions of dollars of Iranian assets unfrozen, Iranian media report

'Significant step forward'

Separately, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran said they had signed a roadmap to resolve outstanding issues.
IAEA head Yukiya Amano told reporters in Vienna that his organisation had signed a roadmap "for the clarification of past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran's nuclear programme".

He called the agreement a "significant step forward", saying it would allow the agency to "make an assessment of issues relating to possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear programme by the end of 2015".

There has been stiff resistance to a deal from conservatives both in Iran and the US.
Israel's government has also warned against an agreement.

Following reports of a deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he believed it was a "historic mistake" that would provide Iran with "hundreds of billions of dollars with which it can fuel its terror machine and its expansion and aggression throughout the Middle East and across the globe".

Source

Cheer up Israel

Israel continues to attack the deal in alarmist terms, writes Peter Beaumont.

"Naftali Bennett, education minister and leader of the far right Bayit Yehudi, like others makes a not so veiled comparison to Munich and appeasement. “The history books have been rewritten again today, and this period will be deemed particularly grave and dangerous.”

“Western citizens who get up for another day at work or school, are not aware of the fact that about half a trillion dollars has been transferred to the hands of a terrorist superpower, the most dangerous country in the world, who has promised the destruction of nations and peoples.”

“Today it may be us, tomorrow it may reach every country in the form of suitcase bombs in London or New York. Israel has done everything possible to warn of danger and in the end it will follow its own interests and will do whatever it takes to defend itself.”

Meanwhile interior minister Silvan Shalom is equally hyperbolic. “You have to realise: even if they comply with every detail of the agreement, which is not at all clear, in ten years they will be completely free. They will able to produce a nuclear bomb, not one, but dozens and hundreds.

“Which of course will be an existential threat to the State of Israel and an existential threat to the entire region, and this will lead to an arms race by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, who will all have one thing in common maybe, that they will have missiles with nuclear warheads aimed at the State of Israel.”

(Lest we forget Israel is estimated to have some 200 nuclear warheads.)

Like a number of other Israeli officials interviewed on and off the record Shalom makes clear that Israel’s solution was to squeeze Iran with sanctions to the edge of regime collapse or beyond.

“If the sanctions had been stiffer, that would have helped of course and they would have ultimately dropped their nuclear program.

“Because if the choice was between losing power and developing nuclear weapons, they would have opted for holding onto their regime. And if the sanctions were much more intense then ultimately they would have realized that the very existence of their regime was in danger and then their choice would have been obvious.”

Yaaaaay!!!! Hope it will bring some peace........on EF at least.

The irony of it all



Dunno who's this guy but he's got it somewhat right (twittz in reverse order)

The agreement leaves Iran with means to build nuclear weapons, limited inspections (the U.S is not allowed to send inspectors).

If Iran will use the agreement as a ladder to climb down from it's nuclear weapons program, great. Perhaps prosperity will usher a new age of democracy in Iran.
If it will do a North Korea and gets the bomb, things will turn nasty and Obama will be remembered as one of the worst presidents.

I have in my hand a piece of paper...

Everyone is wrong about this agreement except Netanyahu who said: "It gives Iran a license to kill"....quite ironic given his track record in palestinian territory.

When Israel and Saudi Arabia don't think its a good idea.... Its probably a good idea.

Considering Netanyahu was right about the Asad regime, the "Arab spring" and the Hamas Islamofaschist rule in Gaza I hope he is wrong about Iran.

they can see everything except for the bomb section.

even a broken clock is right twice a day.

It's fine. It gives the US an option for a new gulf war in a few years time.

Apologies - in my previous post the "irony" pic of the Theodor-Herzl-Platz was not conveyed properly since I failed to post the pic of BBC's whole tweet. Here it is.





After this, will BBC still have friends in Israel?

P.

This isn't really much of a deal, and is more like kicking the can further down the road. If this was a poker game, the US folded a pair of Queens against an All-In by Iran, with an Ace-King.

The issue is the hostilities, not the weapons. Colonel Mustard can still do his deed in the study with either a knife, a lead pipe or a candlestick.

I think we'll soon see if the Iranian is more interested in peace, or more interested in projecting their power. I just hope that with the surge of money that will soon flood Iran, they will choose to use it to enjoy the beauty of simple life rather than belligerence and proxy terrorism.

All I feel is 'what an anticlimax'!

I think it was delayed and will be slow to unfurl, so as to allow oil stocks time to absorb the impact. Iranians seem happy right now, but receiving benefits for the middle class and poor will a long time coming; The Iranian govt. also need time to deal with the ripples. The best idea would be for Iran to ask the diaspora to invest in Iran.

In the meantime the deal is a pragmatic way for the US to check Sunni power.

I can't wait for a direct return flight SFO-IKA on a new, safe plane.

I am sure that they will release dual nationals soon.

WHAT "nuclear weapons program" ?? There is just a program to develop civiilian nuclear energy

is he a relative of Sergant Pepper?

Methinks we will find that Israel and Saudi Arabia will be the bad guys in this case and force Iran to Hmm, "defend" itself.
There ain't gonna be no peace in our time down there in the kitty-litter.

Bad guy is a relative term, and each side is a bad guy to the other. From both perspective, this is about making a deal with the bad guy, which is foolish in the real world. Why on earth would you enable someone trying to hurt you? First you have to get over hostilities, and then you can make a deal. Otherwise, this is just political theatrics for professional politicians, as if they've earned their keep and accomplished something. bah.

Anyone of three dozen parties can easily torpedo this deal, hence is by definition a bad deal. It may even lead to all out war.

A colleague of Professor Plum and Mrs. Peacock.