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A Dangerous New Phase in Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program

(Wall Street Journal) Joseph Lieberman - The struggle by America and its allies to stop the Iranian nuclear project is entering a critical new phase. The victory by Hasan Rouhani - reputedly the most moderate of the approved presidential candidates - may lead the Iranian regime to shift its international behavior, but rather than abandon its goal of a nuclear-weapons capability, Tehran may instead simply adopt a shrewder, more effective approach. The risk with Rouhani, who takes office next month, is that the Iranians will adopt a smarter strategy that accepts tactical compromises at the negotiating table, but only to buy the time and space necessary to push ahead with the most important elements of their nuclear program. This is precisely what Rouhani himself boasted in a 2004 speech that he had done as Iran's nuclear negotiator: suspending enrichment as a sop to the international community, even as Iran moved forward on other fronts. Such a strategy is even more dangerous today because the Iranians are so much closer to the nuclear finish line. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran is rapidly installing hundreds of next-generation centrifuges that, within a year or sooner, will give the regime the capacity to produce enough weapons-grade uranium in just a few weeks to produce a nuclear weapon. Iran is also making progress on a plutonium reactor that could be operational as early as next year and provide the regime with an alternative path to the bomb. The U.S. and its allies should refuse to offer any sanctions relief unless Iran immediately stops all activities that could lead to a nuclear-weapons breakout. This means, at minimum, a freeze on the installation of next-generation centrifuges, suspension of 20% enrichment and an end to work on the plutonium reactor. The writer is a former four-term U.S. senator from Connecticut.
2013-07-10 00:00:00
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