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How Europe Has Gone Astray on Iran

(Jerusalem Post) Emily B. Landau - The Europeans have been doing everything in their power to undermine U.S. efforts to recreate pressure on Iran as a starting point for a new negotiation that would cover its nuclear, missile and regional activities. France, Britain and Germany envision an alternative payment system that will enable them to continue trade with Iran despite U.S. sanctions. But do the Europeans not recognize that there are serious flaws in the nuclear deal and that it would not prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear state? Don't they see that it is in everyone's interest to try to strengthen the deal, especially since Iran has become an even more aggressive regional actor since the deal came into force? The horror of the Islamic regime is clear to see: the war crimes in Syria, the transport of weapons and advanced technologies to Hizbullah, the testing of missiles that can carry a nuclear warhead, and the steadfast refusal to allow the IAEA to inspect non-nuclear facilities (especially those revealed in the nuclear archives), to name a few. Iran made only minimal nuclear concessions to secure maximum sanctions relief. It has given no indication of a strategic U-turn in the nuclear realm, and continues to threaten Israel with destruction. Moreover, the deal itself ensures that Iran can continue with its nuclear program, allowing R&D work on an entire range of advanced centrifuges. It excludes Iran's missile program, which it continues to advance virtually unhindered. Finally, the deal has an expiration date, so it is at best a temporary arrangement. It flies in the face of reason that the Europeans don't see what a dangerous nuclear proliferator Iran still is. The writer heads the Arms Control and Regional Security Program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).
2018-12-14 00:00:00
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