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Future Risks of an Iran Nuclear Deal
(New York Times) David E. Sanger and Michael R. Gordon - President Obama has been pressing the case that the sharp limits on how much nuclear fuel Iran can hold, how many centrifuges it can spin and what kind of technology it can acquire would make it extraordinarily difficult for Iran to race for the bomb over the next 15 years. His problem is that most of the significant constraints on Tehran's program lapse after 15 years - and, after that, Iran is free to produce uranium on an industrial scale. Even some of the most enthusiastic backers of the agreement say they fear Mr. Obama has oversold some of the accord's virtues as he asserts that it would "block" all pathways to a nuclear weapon. A more accurate description is that the agreement is likely to delay Iran's program. The administration's case essentially is that the benefits over the next 15 years overwhelmingly justify the longer-term risks of what comes after.