If the U.S. Doesn’t Stand Firm, It Will Face an Empowered Iran with Nuclear Weapons https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/politics-current-affairs/2021/04/if-the-u-s-doesnt-stand-firm-it-will-face-an-empowered-iran-with-nuclear-weapons/

April 20, 2021 | Jacob Nagel and Mark Dubowitz
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In Vienna this week, negotiations continue between Washington and Tehran over how to reinstate the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which aimed to restrict the Islamic Republic’s ability to develop the technology necessary for producing atomic bombs. Jacob Nagel and Mark Dubowitz explain the risks of a bad deal:

The talks revolve primarily around what the West should pay the world’s most prolific state sponsor of terrorism for the privilege of re-entering a faulty nuclear agreement that in 2015 granted Iran everything it wanted—namely, a patient pathway to atomic weapons and massive economic relief. The Iranian strategy is clear: wield the threat of nuclear escalation to extort massive economic concessions in the form of American sanctions relief and a return to the JCPOA. This will give the regime tens of billions of dollars and allow it to forge ahead on nuclear research and development. (Sadly, the regime’s advances are based on knowledge and production capabilities they gained by violating the 2015 agreement).

By returning to the JCPOA, the regime can legally install advanced centrifuges, build up their enrichment capabilities, and wait for key restrictions to sunset over the next two to nine years. After 2030, there will be no prohibitions on the Islamic Republic’s ability to enrich massive uranium quantities to weapons grade.

The U.S. can permanently cut off Iran’s pathways to nuclear weapons or collapse at the negotiating table. It’s now time for the Biden administration to choose.

Read more on Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/biden-administrations-time-choosing-iran-opinion-1584299