In the course of its negotiations with Iran, the U.S. has recognized the Islamic Republic’s “right to enrich” uranium. In doing so, Matthew Kroenig writes, it has committed itself to a deal that effectively allows Tehran to develop nuclear weapons:
Since the beginning of the nuclear era, scientists have understood that the exact same technology could be used to produce fuel either for nuclear energy or for nuclear weapons. The two methods for producing nuclear fuel, uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing, therefore, became known as “sensitive nuclear technologies.” The United States has always opposed the spread of sensitive nuclear technologies to all states, including its own allies, and it should not make an exception for Iran. . . .
A deal that allows Iran to keep a uranium-enrichment program will not prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Instead, it will make an Iranian bomb more likely. It also increases the risk of a nuclear arms race in the region. Then there is the matter of setting a dangerous precedent: it will be impossible for Washington to argue that it trusts Iran with sensitive nuclear facilities but not its friends and allies. To make matters even worse, in the wake of a deal, all of this will happen with the international community’s stamp of approval. Seventy years of successful U.S.-led non-proliferation policy will have been trashed.
Read more on Tablet: http://tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/191495/obama-iran-nonproliferation