Was The U.S. Desperate For A Nuclear Deal With Iran?

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) are seated during a meeting of the foreign ministers representing the permanent five member countries of the United Nations Security Council, including Germany, at UN Headquarters in New York September 26, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Brendan McDermid

Desperate For A Nuclear Deal With Iran -- Kori Schake, Shadow Government/Foreign Policy

Barack Obama's administration is under the gun to produce a "final" agreement justifying its six-month sweetener for Iran. In return for cessation of progress in the country's nuclear programs, Iran has received some sanctions relief. The White House is trumpeting this as a great advance toward eliminating Iran's nuclear threat, even hinting it could dramatically reshuffle American alliances in the Middle East. What the Obama administration appears not to understand is how much the interim deal highlights its incredible -- literally, lacking in credibility -- declaratory policy.

President Obama has stated unequivocally that the United States will not permit Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. His closest aides have defended the interim deal as forestalling military strikes against Iran's nuclear infrastructure. In fact, the administration has explicitly tied the negotiations to forestalling "another war in the Middle East."

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My Comment: Jeffrey Goldberg has done an excellent analysis on what is wrong with the Iranian nuclear agreement. In short .... this agreement promises a lot while ignoring the most critical issue which is Iran's nuclear enrichment program. And while I will give the administration the benefit of the doubt (reluctantly) for the next six months that are outlined in this agreement .... I just cannot understand the reason why the White House is now exploring ways to permit Iran to enrich uranium even before these nuclear discussions have started.