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It's Time for Congress to Come Together on Iran

(Politico) Dennis Ross and David Makovsky - Even many of the supporters of the nuclear deal with Iran have worries about what happens when Iran is no longer limited in the size or the quality of its centrifuges or nuclear infrastructure. Similarly, both supporters and opponents of the deal are understandably concerned about Iran using sanctions relief to provide significantly more material support to Hizbullah and other trouble-makers in the region. Thus, shouldn't it be possible to gain bipartisan agreement on bolstering deterrence and creating a firewall between Iran's threshold nuclear status and its becoming a weapons state, and raising the cost to the Iranians of destabilizing behavior in the region? Putting in legislation language that would support the use of force in response to an Iranian dash toward a nuclear bomb is critically needed if the Iranians are to understand that force and not sanctions will be the response to Iran's violating its commitment not to pursue a nuclear weapon at any point. In addition, we also see a need for legislation to provide the massive ordinance penetrator (MOP) - and the aircraft to carry it - to Israel to reinforce Israeli deterrence. Providing it to Israel would have the added benefit of signaling that we mean what we say about preventing Iran from ever becoming a nuclear weapons state. Finally, legislation that provides for select and targeted sanctions in response to a surge of material support for Iran's proxies in the region is necessary to ensure that Hizbullah, Hamas, and other Iranian-supported militias in the area don't gain as a result of the Iran deal. These practical steps reflect the consensus that exists on preventing Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon or shifting the balance of power in the region against the U.S. and its partners in the area. Amb. Dennis Ross is a long-time U.S. Mideast negotiator. David Makovsky is director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy Project on the Middle East Peace Process.
2015-09-11 00:00:00
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