PrintU.N.: Iran has failed to live up to previous nuclear agreement
It's no surprise that Iran has failed to adhere to the interim agreement it made with the West last April. Neither is it a surprise that the Obama administration is defending Iran's cheating.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) disclosed yesterday that Iran has failed to meet its commitments under the interim Joint Plan of Action to convert recently enriched uranium gas to powder.
While Iran has reduced the amount of enriched uranium gas in its stockpiles, it has failed to dispose of these materials in a way that satisfies the requirements of the nuclear accord struck with the United States and other powers in 2013.
Secretary of State John Kerry declared last summer that Iran would be forced to comply with such restrictions, and State Department officials were assuring reporters as recently as last month that the Iranians would meet their obligations.
Wednesday’s disclosure by the IAEA sent the State Department rushing to downplay the Iranian violation.
Obama administration officials insisted that despite Iran’s failure to meet its obligations, negotiations were still on track and that Tehran would face no repercussions.
One U.S. official who spoke with the Associated Press on Wednesday said that instead of converting its uranium gas into uranium dioxide powder as required, Iran had transformed it into another substance. The IAEA found that Iran had converted just 9 percent of the relevant stockpile into uranium dioxide.
The official went on to downplay concerns about Iran’s violation, claiming that Tehran was only having some “technical problems.”
The “technical problems by Iran had slowed the process but the United States was satisfied that Iran had met its commitments,” the AP reported the official as saying.
“Violations by Iran would complicate the Obama administration’s battle to persuade congressional opponents and other skeptics,” the AP continued.
Iran is hedging its bets that it may not be able to sign a final deal on its nuke program and wishes to keep as much uranium gas viable for more enrichment as possible. Obviously, agreements mean little to the Iranians, so the question of why sign a deal with them in the first place is relevant.
Not even clear violations of their obligations will deter the administration from reaching a deal. Congress should take note of how eager the president is to absolve the Iranians of cheating. It's a preview of what we can expect if an agreement is reached.
