Iran Caves In

Iran has said “uncle.” After years of brutal economic sanctions, covert sabotage of its nuclear facilities and equipment, murder of its scientists, and God knows what else, Iran has been forced to knuckle under and rip the guts out of its nuclear enrichment and research programs.

Here’s the first sentence of the Guardian’s (UK) report on the deal:

“Iran has promised to make drastic cuts to its nuclear programme in return for the gradual lifting of sanctions as part of a historic breakthrough in Lausanne that could end a 13-year nuclear standoff.” (My emphasis.) [1]

And what does Iran have to do to get a “gradual lifting” of the economic strangulation?

It has to reduce the number of its centrifuges from about 19,000 to about 6,000. And it can only use about 5,000 of those. Oh, and it can only keep its most primitive centrifuges, the first-generation ones. This will last for ten years.

It has to stop enriching uranium at Fordow.

It has to rip out the completed Arak nuclear reactor and rebuild it so it cannot product weapons-grade plutonium. The deal demands that the reactor core be “ destroyed or removed from the country.”

 (It’s going to have to do all this at its own expense too, obviously.)

Iran can’t enrich uranium over 3.67 percent for at least 15 years, even though the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty permits enrichment to 20%.

Iran has to virtually eliminate its stockpile of about 10,000 kg of low-enriched
uranium (LEU), reducing it to just 300 kg of 3.67 percent LEU for 15 years. (Bomb-grade uranium must be enriched to over 90%.)

Below are verbatim quotes from the deal document:

-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.

There’s more- a LOT more. For example:

-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.

And of course the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency, an outfit controlled by the U.S. and infiltrated by Israeli intelligence) will have inspectors and cameras everywhere for “continuous monitoring” of all the conditions. I’m surprised they didn’t demand that all Iran’s nuclear physicists wear electronic monitoring ankle bracelets to track their whereabouts.

All kinds of additional onerous conditions, well beyond Iran’s treaty obligations, are to be imposed, such as:

-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 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.
-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. [That is, Iran cannot opt out of the treaty, as any other nation that signs any treaty can do.] [All emphases mine.]

And in return for these draconian measures, what does Iran get? It gets SOME sanctions SUSPENDED AFTER it does all this. Here’s what the document says:

-Iran will receive sanctions relief, if it verifiably abides by its commitments. [Notice, WILL and IF.]
-U.S. and E.U. nuclear-related sanctions will be suspended [NOT LIFTED] 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.

In other words, Iran is STILL under control in terms on NON-NUCLEAR weaponry. The nuclear issue really was a stalking horse. The real goal is to keep Iran as militarily weak as they can.

The gun of UN sanctions will also still remain pointed at Iran’s head, as the document specifies:

-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. [The other excuses for U.S. Cold Warfare against Iran. When is someone going to sanction the U.S. for its far greater and more exsanguinous human rights “abuses,” its hundreds of ballistic missiles, and its global terrorism and sponsorship of state terrorism by numerous regimes? Just asking.]

But Israel is already calling it a “bad deal.” Since the U.S. Congress is a servile puppet of Israel, that means there will be no lifting of U.S. sanctions, merely their suspension by Obama. The next president can reimpose them of course. (By then Iran will have been tricked into dismantling its research and uranium enrichment programs.)

Anyone who thinks that calling the U.S. Congress “a servile puppet of Israel” needs to watch Netanyahu’s speech before that body in early March. An eight minute standing ovation, with wild cheering, greeted his arrival at the podium. His agit-propaganda speech was interrupted NINETEEN TIMES by more standing ovations. And when he finished, the assembled alleged representatives of the American people gave him yet another standing ovation, this time for ten minutes, with frenzied cheering. You’d think it was a assembly called by Saddam Hussein, or Stalin addressing the Supreme Soviet, or Mao speechifying before the People’s Congress, or one of Hitler’s gatherings of the faithful. Just amazing. And it passes without comment in the U.S. media. (Which always has Israel’s back, no matter what inhuman atrocity it commits, so no surprise there.)

During that speech a month ago, Netanyahu insisted the “deal” with Iran was “bad,” that it “paved the way” for Iran to make nuclear weapons! (There WAS no deal at the time, not even an outline of a deal, just the notion of easing sanctions in return for rendering Iran incapable of developing nuclear weapons.)

The truth is, the Israelis want the U.S. to go to war with Iran to overthrow the regime,  just as it wanted it to overthrow Saddam Hussein in Iraq.  Perhaps next some U.S. “decision makers” could dress up in French maid uniforms and clean Netanyahu’s house for him. (Seems like plenty of Congresspeople would jump at the chance.)

Even now, the U.S. media can't stop lying. Just this afternoon, CBS radio news said the deal "could end Iran's nuclear weapons program." Iran doesn't HAVE a nuclear weapons program! This is all about making sure that Iran CAN'T have a nuclear weapons program! Both U.S. and Israeli intelligence say there IS no "weapons" program. The beef with Iran was that it was developing the know-how and capability to develop nuclear weapons at some future date. [2]

Well, only fools rely on U.S. corporate media for accurate information. Unfortunately most people in America are fools.

1] “Iran nuclear deal:negotiators announce 'framework' agreement,” guardian, April 2, 2015.

Here’s theWhite House factsheet detailing the agreement.

2] CBS radio network "news," April 2, 3 pm, propaganda read by Harley Carnes.