|
Trending Topics
|
Don't Get Suckered by Iran: Fix the Problems with the Interim Accord
(Foreign Affairs) Mitchell B. Reiss and Ray Takeyh - As negotiations proceed over what should follow the current accord, Washington should try to revisit some of the interim agreement's provisions and broaden the scope of negotiations to include Iran's sponsorship of terrorism and its systemic violation of human rights. It would be a grave error to allow the Islamic Republic to emerge from the negotiations with its nuclear ambitions intact, its terrorist activities undiminished, and its people denied their basic rights. The restrictions imposed on Iran's nuclear program should be permanent and foreclose the possibility that at any point Iran can produce nuclear weapons. Among the measures that should be insisted on are the shuttering of Iran's heavy-water reactor at Arak, the closing of its fortressed enrichment installation nestled in the mountains at Fordow, and the shipping out of the country of all of its enriched uranium. As a further safeguard, sanctions against Iran should be suspended rather than dismantled. Iran's support for terrorist groups, particularly those attacking Israel, must also be part of the ongoing nuclear talks. Iran cannot be a custodian of sensitive nuclear technologies while remaining the world's leading sponsor of terror. Mitchell B. Reiss served as director of policy planning at the State Department from 2003 to 2005. Ray Takeyh is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.