Iran can justify refining uranium above 3.67%: it needs 20-25% fuel to run the Tehran Research Reactor, and it's tired of relying on other countries to sell it that fuel.
If Iran ever refines uranium ABOVE what's required to run the TRR, it will raise many eyebrows (mine included). But I doubt that's ever going to happen. Long before the "Iran deal" was signed, Iran was the most thoroughly inspected country in the history of the world. That "honor" has continued since the Iran deal was signed, but I have no illusion that it will continue in the future: Why would Iran cut any breaks for a country that imposes sanctions on it?
Most American believe this is true:
"The Iranians attacked the tankers and our drone."
Maybe, but it's unclear why Iran would violate the "Iran deal" (I think there's something in there about not attacking other signatory countries) at the same time it's threatening to "walk" because the US has. Stranger things have happened, I suppose -- but not very often.
This applies only to the tankers, of course. As for the drone, Iran has never denied shooting it down. It claims the drone was in Iranian air space. It' hard not to notice that the US has greatly toned down its insistence that the drone was flying over international waters. If the US had attacked Iran, it would have been embarrassing to find out that Iran was right about that.
Bottom line: It's a simple matter to drum up American opposition to Iran. Politicians do it, and do it well, every day. Maybe Americans' deep suspicion of Iran is justified, and they did, after all, seize many American hostages 40 years ago. I'm all for holding old grudges, but that one's getting a bit long in the tooth.
The only reason why they overstepped the bounds of the treaty was because Trump pulled out of it. Yes, the European nations involved upheld it, but since they were getting sanctions put onto the the country why abide by the treaty which the main constructor has obviously not-upheld
1
This comes from a commenter who seems be well-educated:
"However if we allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons they most certainly will use them on us or Israel."
Those following the Iran nuclear dispute have long disagreed on the US public's likely reaction to Iran. I'me one of the skeptics, and the skeptics have been right so far. There appears to be next to nothing that Iran can do to dig itself of this hole, and Iran doesn't seem inclined to jump through any more hoops.
Many Americans have concluded that Iran plans to build a bomb, and maybe it does. But it might be refining uranium to more than 3.67% because it has a research reactor to run, and that reactor requires fuel refined to the 20-25% level. (That's better than used to be the case: When France built that research reactor for Iran several decades ago, it required bomb-grade fuel._
Every country has a right to protect themselves. Nevertheless as an American it is appalling that my nation broke it's word, commitment to Iran.
However if we allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons they most certainly will use them on us or Israel. It's better to get qualified American negotiators to draw plans that will be good for Iran and America as well as the world... Peace is essential in our fragile world.
@George: Israel has a nuclear deterrent. Why do you think Iran would nuke a nation with missile-launching submarines?
The obvious extreme caution that the USA employs in negotiation with nuclear armed nations in the matter of aggressive tactics such as dealing with North Korea is in stark contrast to its dealings with nations like Libya which it totally destroyed very quickly as it had no nuclear capability . This has nothing to do with whether or not the governments were or were not admirable. The entire world is now is well aware that the only defense against powerful aggression is to be nuclear armed. Iran reacts accordingly.
1
U.S. threats, bullying and military adventures have given the word "war" a quaint, virtuous tone. It's in popular use in the national media because it implies a two-sided affair, but from what I've read, the country hasn't actually declared war on anyone since 1942. Let's call this what it is — simply attacking another country. The U.S. is not threatening countries with war, it is threatening to attack them.
1
@Terry
First WW2 was declared on 12/7/1941, not 1942. Second, who do you think the US is threatening to attack? The Iranians attacked the tankers and our drone. They are the only ones attacking anyone.
3
To be extra pedantic, WWII was declared on Sept. 1, 1939. The U.S. didn't declare war until 12/8/41.
@James If a drone flies ten miles off the coast of New York (say inside international waters) are we going to respect its right to be there? No, because that is a threat to the American state, why does Iran not get the same standard.
If not for Trump the Iranians would peacefully going about their business, running Lebanon, supporting war in Yemmon, funding Hezbollah and its hate. All the while suppressing it's people at home and collecting billions selling oil to China, Japan and Europe. That is the world dreamed of by Obama, including US military intervention in Yemmon as a SOP to Suadi Arabia. The Senate would never have passed the Irian Deal, so Obama just dropped it and declared it so.
3
The Iranian spokesman has tweeted about Ayatollah Khamenei's fatwa about keeping weapons of mass destruction out of the region. President Obama, justifying his negotiations with Iran, had referred to a fatwa banning Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and that such weapons were UN-Islamic, which is a bit different. Are there two fatwas, one none.
Since no one has actually seen any fatwa on the matter, shouldn’t Iran finally publish it (or them) to End the uncertainty and confusion. And if none exists, what does than say about the Iranian leadership’s ability to dupe President Obama and others. And if Iran lied about the fatwa game gain a negotiating advantage, what else might it be lying about?
The title online describes this as another breach of the agreement by Iran. What other thing have they done?
My lawyer once explained to me that any contract is only as good as the man with whom you make it. Iran is a criminal nation with criminal intentions and methods.
2
Well said Mr Shuang. The unilateral bullying is a persistent tumour. Trump has played fast and loose with an international agreement and as a consequence has lost all credibility, not that he had much before. He cant wing this with his Twitter feeds. The world knows he falls out with everyone. His conduct is nowhere near good enough to be in charge of a massive military arsenal. And what's this pressuring the Brits over the Grace 1 oil tanker? A wimp of a country hankering after one of his deals shows itself prepared to kowtow to Trump's demands, rather than remaining impartial. The UK does not want to be dragged into another phoney despite what dumb politicans conceed to behind closed doors.
1
Blinded by hate and the urge to punish, the Treaty of Versailles was signed despite the warning of John Maynard Keynes, who correctly predicted the treaty would cripple the German economy and lead to another major conflict.
The Obama administration had an agreement in place which brokered a tense but verifiable deal, but the Trump administration wants to revisit the good old How-to-Start-a-War playbook.
We need to work in concert with our allies before it is too late and history repeats itself.
2
The "good guy" is now China!
How far we have fallen. China is absolutely right: our unilateral abrogation of a multilateral agreement everyone else was very happy with, and then imposing unilateral sanctions empowered by our fortuitous position in the world financial system, is the "bullying" and more (as Iranians by the tens of millions suffer) causing the current problems.
One solution? Alter the world financial system so the US is not at the center of it. That is a hard (very) thing to do. But if there ever was incentive to do so for Europe, China and others, this is it.
How helpful it will be to American interests if there is fundamental change, that weakens America's central position, in the world financial system.
BTW China, found alternatives to buying US Treasuries? Time to start looking harder than ever!
Thank you Donald, we'll remember you for a long long time.
4
Wow, having Trump to blame for provoking the war that ends the world actually does really feel better than impeaching him. Who knew this was going to be so easy after all? Sorry Bob for having to drag you back to Congress to testify against your will for nothing.
" Bullying. "
China and Russia have Iran's back. Proceed with caution.
4
Iran is asking for a conflict with the US and it will probably get one.
1
The nuclear deal was bad if working at all. Iran is a rouge state with militant proxies that destabilize the ME. A nuclear Iran will pose a threat to the whole world and should not be allowed to materialize. A regime change in Iran would be welcomed by everybody including the Iranian people. At some point soon the USA and allies must respond, because the world peace is at stake.
3
@
Good or bad ,the deal worked for both sides. Iran was compliant as assessed by international inspectors as the deal delayed /deferred any Iranian ambition to join the nuclear club. Sanctions by the US prevent Iran trading enriched material with others. Iran got its hands on its own money plus trade following the deal.Trade is prevented by US sanctions.
Regime change must come from within. Outside interference has left Iraq , Afghanistan and Libya in shreds.
Few applaud the present regime but military action will reverberate around the world.
2
I only wish you were better acquainted with the geo political reality in the ME, and the Iranian people, whose wishes you do not know. It is absurd to state that a war with Iran is in their people's interest, and the wider world. This could not be further from the truth.
We have seen your disastrous wars and the flimsy evidence used before. The agreement was working until the madman in the WH decided to screw things up. History did not start in 1979 and the meddling in Iranian affairs by the UK and US goes back much further. Reflect on that rather than hogwash from a lousy president.
4
I'm still wondering why the US can have hundreds of nuclear warheads and yet when another country develops just one or the potential for a handful, it's full blown red alert drama. If the tables were turned, wouldn't we at least want the capability, for retaliatory defense at the minimum?
And the argument that our country's arsenal is controlled by a group of thoughtful, objective and patient individuals relative to other countries' teams is really laughable.
4
The big, fat fact is that the Trump government has deliberately provoked this conflict with its cruel economic warfare on the whole people of Iran. Rulers who play games with wars may find themselves fighting them. That's the hard limit here. The stifling truth is that the whole Congress is too cowardly to confront this gathering catastrophe, while the American people and the whole world gape at this spectacle in stupefaction and paralysis.
5
Everyone remembers the Soup Nazi from the Seinfeld show. He is an Iranian soup shop owner in NYC. He identifies with the corner stone of deal making in Persian heritage. That is “mutual respect”. If you are disrespectful in his store, then “no soup for you”.
“Mutual respect”, Something that Mr Trump knows nothing about. Clearly seen during his presidency in his deal makings.
The nuclear deal between the Iranians and Obama administration was made on “ mutual respect”, even though it was not a perfect deal for either side.
So, if Mr Trump wants to make deal with the Iranians, he has to show “ mutual respect”.
Else, “no soup for you” Mr President.
18
George W. Bush and his merry band of neocons got us into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan where Americans are still dying and the situation is worse than when we started. Donald Trump is engaged in acts of war against Iran, and forcing our allies to assist, that promise to swell into our third middle eastern open conflict. What is the lesson in this? Stop electing stupid people president. Even simpler, stop voting for Republicans.
6
I wonder how much oil the Iranians gave to China to buy their statement?
3
@James Are you saying US is not bullying other countries under Trump?
@Srini
It was a bad deal to begin with b/c it was not truly verifiable. If Obama really thought it was a good deal he should have submitted it to the Congress for an open and transparent debate about it's terms. Instead the Obama admin used scare tactics to falsely claim that war would break out unless a deal, any deal however bad, was made.
The word "beach" means "an act of breaking or failing to observe a law, agreement, or code of conduct.
"a breach of confidence""
Iran is not breaching its agreement with the U.S. because we had already abandoned it.
I hope the New York Times can get its language right on this.
4
We were not the only two signatories, is the thing. JCPOA’s still there, just without us.
1
Everyone paying attention has known for quite some time that the rest of the world will not stand by Trump when push comes to shove. Imagine where things will stand after 8 years!
4
Trump breaches deal...
Irrationally assumes Iran will still comply with deal while imposing sanctions...
Screams when Iran says they are tired of abiding by a deal that the US has walked away from...
Tell me, how is the the “art of the deal”?
6
The Iranian leadership is notorious for signing agreements without even the remotest thought of adhering to that which they have signed.
Until the current regime is removed, the U.S. must continue to be vigilant and wary of Iran's activities. Under no circumstance must they be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon!.
“British and Gibraltar authorities said the tanker was transporting oil to Syria, and was detained because the delivery would violate the European Union’s sanctions on sales to that war-torn nation — not because it would violate American sanctions designed to choke off Iranian exports.”
So it’s OK for the UK to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia, which bombs hospitals in Yemen, but not OK to sell oil to Syria? Not saying that Asad’s better than ben Salman, but the level of hypocrisy is mind numbing.
6
This is a clear indication that the Islamic regime wants war. The main reason is that the regime is bankrupt from the perspective of Iranians. After forty years, the regime has brought negative GDP growth, high inflation, high unemployment, significant increase in drug addiction, poverty, prostitution, one of the highest executions among all nations, severe discrimination against all religious and ethnic minorities, and intense destabilization of the Middle East. The regime has enriched itself by plundering resources. The Mullah regime does not represent Iranians in any manner or shape. It has used Iran for its own benefits. This cancerous tumor called Islamic Republic must be removed from Iran. Thank you for reading.
3
The gathering storm ... Thank you B-Team.
1
Sadly I can only say one thing.
Thanks again protest voters for tossing away your vote which was in effect a vote for Trump and the newly installed 'Fake' Supreme Court. Where money talks and .... walks.
3
We no longer eagerly consume government propaganda echoed by a slavering corporate press.
4
Iran should have every right to pursue economic empowerment either via Uranium Enrichment or reduction of global economic sanctions. We cannot expect Iran to give up on their self defense and self preservation. And the argument that they facilitate Terrorism and deserved to be punished is plain hypocrisy. We support Saudis and they are openly killing Journalist and a lot of Civilians in Yemen.
6
It makes no difference whether the deal with Iran was good or bad, it was a deal and deals are supposed to be honored, especially deals that involve significant players in the international community, namely our "allies."
When he unilaterally and without cause breached the deal, Trump gave Iran the upper hand in the ever important PR game. You can see this in comments to NYT articles about the situation, 99% of which I suppose are written by American voters and 99% of which express dismay/outrage at Trump. None of this is lost on Iran and the rest of the world. Of course, China is going to weigh in. And, of course, the allies who Trump ditched along with Iran are going to stay on the sidelines.
Once again, Trump has painted himself in a corner. There is nothing to negotiate. There will be no war because American voters will not tolerate a war and the international community will not support it. The best Trump can do is what he always does--declare victory and go on to his next self-created crisis.
12
According to this article "China, another signatory to the deal, accused the United States of “bullying” Tehran with crippling economic sanctions."
The statement by China should not be called an accusation. It is a simple statement of fact. A better phrasing would be "China ... pointed out the the United States was 'bullying' Tehran...".
21
Pretty clear that Trump is pushing Iran to do this. Two years ago they were fine, and satisfied with the nuclear agreement, and unconcerned about any major war (including Syria's). Now they are backed up against the wall, and striving to get nuclear weapons as the only possible thing preventing an invasion.
Of course there's no valid, rational reason to invade Iran, and the whole world knows this. They arm and fund terrorist groups, as does America, but they haven't directly attacked any nation in decades. If you think America doesn't fund terrorist groups, recall that we armed up the Taliban and thus al Qaeda, with extreme irony. We also arm the Kurds' groups today, and Turkey regards them as terrorists. Plus unlike Iran, we invade nations pretty regularly.
So now Iran is faced with a blustering, irrational enemy, who also possesses more nuclear weapons than any other nation. And spends more on its military than the next thirty strongest nations' military budgets combined. An attack on Iran is imminent, thanks primarily to Bolton and Pompeo.
Iran must do the only possible thing to save itself, and that's develop nuclear weapons. Frankly I'd rather see them do that than Trump to invade them and thereby kick off full nuclear war with their closest ally, Russia.
9
@Dan Stackhouse, the only thing that survives in this world is because it has a nuclear weapon? Given that logic and we all do have to use them to save ourselves, makes perfect sense with regard to survival. It makes as much sense as everyone carrying a gun to make the world a safer place.
1
Dear John Doe,
Once the U.S. sets its sights on invading a nation, the only thing to prevent such an invasion is having nuclear weapons. Often diplomacy would work, but not with Trump, because he's incapable of managing any diplomacy. This isn't the same as saying one needs nuclear weapons to survive, there are plenty of nations that just stay under the radar and don't come up on Trump's list of places to invade.
1
I remember a NPR report from a couple of months ago that said, after Trump unilaterally quit the JCPOA deal and threatened sanctions and retribution upon other nations and businesses that continued to keep it, Iran was having great difficulty finding any shipping business still willing to buy the excess, or trade it for non-enriched uranium as the original deal specified.
Not sure if that's what is happening here, but it seems to me that this all might have an obvious and simple solution.
Of course, the last two years clearly demonstrate that solutions –simple or otherwise– are not what Trump is looking for.
_____
"...excess quantities are to be sold based on international prices and delivered to the international buyer in return for natural uranium delivered to Iran, or are to be down-blended to natural uranium level."
-- From page 8 of the JCPOA nuclear deal
1
The multilateral agreement that was signed by the US and several NATO allies was breached by Trump, who said that the US was withdrawing from this treaty. He said that the treaty was a "bad deal".
He then put up sanctions that flew in the face of the terms of the treaty. After all, he said that we were no longer bound by the protocols of the treaty.
Iran has tried to negotiate, but they are squeezed between US sanctions and the expectations of the treaty--and Trump apparently expects that Iran will still abide by the treaty even though the US is not, a treaty he still considers a "bad deal" for the US.
Trump has made the US into diplomacy's version of a bad actor, making bad faith arguments and bad faith negotiations. We cannot reasonably expect that when we break a treaty that we should expect the other sides to maintain it.
Regardless of China's rivalry and ambitions vis a vis the US, this doesn't mean they're wrong to say that we're acting like a bully.
If we cannot review our actions and intentions honestly, we have no honest way of moving forward to a mutually acceptable solution. Given Trump's mercurial and mendacious nature, this bodes very ill for long-term US diplomacy.
8
With his shortsighted policies and bullying tactics Trump has not only encouraged nations to rediscover nuclear weapons as the only security guarantee against the aggressive designs of the big powers but also substantially added to weakening the global nonproliferation efforts.
10
How can Iran breach an agreement that Trump destroyed last year?
10
So many comments on the ‘deal’ with Iran by Obama. A deal so solid in premise that he never proffered it to Congress for ratification, so legitimate that it was sealed by a literal plane-load of over a hundred billion in currency to facilitate future Iranian terrorism, and so restrictive that it had no enforceable inspection for verification, and Iran announces now that in a matter of days it has fully restarted weapons grade enrichment. And so much shock and Trump blaming that Iran is doing what it has for decades of weakness by American presidents- point of the gun blackmail to continue to turn a blind eye to history, and reality that the quest for nuclear Iran is full speed ahead.
There are plenty of what if consequences for America and the world to finally stand firm against this terrorist regime, but the outcome of capitulation- again- is as predictable as the sunrise. Iran has no more bargaining chips.
6
Everything this Administration tries to improve upon becomes just another dismal failure. Tax cuts for the middle class, failed. Healthcare legislation to improve the ACA, failed. Immigration reform, failed. It's a never-ending cycle, one after the other.
When this President and Administration are replaced, I don't have much hope that the damage can be repaired.
3
The US pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal even though Iran was in full compliance with the terms of the agreement is as much the doing of Netanyahu, Sheldon Adelson and other GOP mega donors whose goal is to escalate tension between the US and Iran. When war breaks out they will have Innocent American and Iranian blood on their hands.
4
@John V
We don't know that Iran was in compliance. The verification procedures were so flimsy that the Iranians could cheat and probably did.
1
The scenario that is unfolding is very scary. It started with President Trump's unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal 14 months ago.
Though China’s conduct in the international arena is not all that admirable, in this case, its spokesman Geng Shuang is right: “The U.S. side not only unilaterally withdrew from the agreement but also created more and more obstacles for Iran and other parties to implement the agreement…. unilateral bullying has become a worsening ‘tumor’ and is creating ... crises on a global scale.”
Other signatories to the 2015 deal owe it to global peace to preserve it. I hope they are aware that Trump’s withdrawal from it is part of his malicious campaign to undo whatever his predecessor Barack Obama had achieved. The Iran nuclear deal is one of Obama’s proud achievements in the foreign policy area.
Here is one more reason why the other signatories, including Iran, should keep the deal alive: The Trump administration's withdrawal from it doesn't enjoy the support of the majority of Americans. They are appalled by Trump's hypocritical approach to nuclear threat. He showers praises on the North Korean dictator who has nuclear bombs, while treating the Iranian leaders, who are only threatening to make one, as pariahs.
Trump is known for erratic and impulsive decision-making. Let's hope the Iranians don't react in kind and act on their threat to make the bomb. They should cooperate with the other signatories who are trying to salvage the deal.
4
There are 3 options for dealing with Iran:
1) Secure a deal that freeze their nuclear program
2) War
3) Do nothing and allow them to go nuclear (like North Korea)
Obama was very clear in his pursuit of option #1. But it is far from clear what policy Trump is pursuing. He had better make up his mind, because not deciding is the same as choosing option #3.
6
It is incredibly dangerous and a threat to world peace when a rogue regime is allowed to spread its destructive influence across the region and the world, terrorizing entire populations by destroying people's security and making any possible better future for millions, stark and bleak.
America must be stopped and cannot be allowed to continue killing millions of people for reasons never right nor ever justified even years after the damage death and destruction is over. Korea.Vietnam. Laos. Cambodia. Iraq. Afganistan and the destabilisation of most of central and south America.
The bodycount is in the many millions...and for what?
Oblivious to the rule of law and agreements made together with allies and adhered to by the other side, this rogue state feels it also has the right to strangle entire countries economic survival and the supply of goods needed to function, supply and protect its people's needs...and punish any other nation who does not comply with it's actions, whether valid or not.
Even when it's strangling of other countries continues for decades regardless of the hurt or harm and often long after most even remember what original transgression was made to deserve such long lasting permanent punishment.
Stop the Bullying and actions said are for your defence when the only countries shattered and their people killed are all from America on the offensive.
And the world becomes less safe as threats grow greater as many others die from America's "Defence"
6
@Loomy
Yet for the US you would be speaking Japanese right now. You bask underneath the umbrella of our protection and have the gall to whine. Don't call us when China annexes you.
2
@Loomy
Unfortunately, I have to agree with you.
The United States has long manifested a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde dichotomy. While not solely attributable to Donald Trump (a noteworthy, nasty manifestation), the floundering, failing Trump "administration" has given license to a sustained period of Mr. Hyde.
Nations concerned with justice, international stability and the rule of law have to be prepared to "work-around" the United States by forging multi-lateral relationships among themselves. These would feature excluding the influence of the USA until control of the US government has been wrested from the hands of the ignorant and borderline fascist GOP and its supporters.
Godspeed and we'll rejoin you at the earliest feasible moment.
2
Talk about having your cake and eating it too.. Iran received access to 150 billion of it's dollars that were under lock and key as part of the deal..They got their 150 billion and they get to enrich uranium. Trump is the best when it comes to blowing leverage. Put this on the heap of messes created by the inept administration leading our nation.
8
Now that the US has withdrawn from the agreement put in place by Obama, why wouldn't the Iranians do whatever hey wish? A war with Iran, would not make me fond of the President and willing to vote for him in 2020.
1
Trump and Netanyahu act like best buddies. But Trump may not want to risk scuttling his re-election chances on a war with Iran. And Netanyahu cares way more about destroying Iran's nuclear capability than about whether Trump gets re-elected.
Now that Trump has pulled out of the Obama deal, any stalemate between the interests of Trump and Netanyahu creates an opening for Iran to sprint toward the goal line of getting a bomb.
Perhaps now you can understand why Israel's top military brass supported the Obama deal.
4
It is really bad when I side with Iran. And the reason for that is Trump negated a deal that was negotiated in good faith and signed by all Parties to it.
Trump is a disaster for the USA. He is bent on having his legacy being the start of WW3. And he has Pompeo and Bolton right by his side.
It is time to stop war mongering . It is time to get back into the Treaty and it is time for us to live up to our commitments to our Allies.
7
Well, that didn't take long...
2
If this article alerts us to anything it is that system needs to be changed in a more radical fashion, with structural changes to our government.
6
Speaker Pelosi, in her deliberations over whether to impeach, must consider Trump's likelihood of declaring war on Iran to ensure his re-election. But if he and his aides are having to defend his presidency, which is fraudulent and Russia-bought, he may not be able to also wage war. It does almost immediately obligate DOJ and legal entities to focus on the charges of impeachment.
7
In the interests of a stable, multi-lateral international order it only makes sense for the other signatories to the Iran nuclear pact to find a way to thwart American sanctions against Iran. What they gain by being complicit in the short run, they will lose by being vassals in the long run.
Not only did the USA unilaterally abrogate the deal, but it is attempting to undermine the capacity of sovereign states to set their own foreign policies. Knuckling under to Trump is destructive of the forces that lead to dynamic stability among nations. Cooperating with Trump is hazardous to their own freedom of action involving their vital interests; what we can do to Iran, we can and will do to others.
China is right. The United States is engaged in bullying and is attempting to enlist others in American bad behavior. They must "Just say 'No!' " Remember, we need their markets and cooperation over time. The time has come.
19
Setting aside the typical, political chest-thumping, about how Iran is part of some imaginary ‘Axis of Evil’, shouldn’t there be some consideration on our part as to how much suffering that we are willing to inflict on a civilian populace?
Whether the idea sits comfortably with us or not, we will all reap what we have sown, directly or otherwise.
The JCPOA was considered a substantial policy accomplishment, in part, because it represented an olive branch. Donald Trump’s first instinct was to burn down the olive tree, and here we are.
34
The fissionable isotope of natural uranium is difficult to purify, but it is incredibly easy to make bombs with it when concentrated.
6
@Steve Bolger
Radioactivity was discovered at the beginning of the 20th century. Still it took 40+ years and tremendous investment in cost and human capital to create an actual bomb.
It's not that easy, as you want us to believe.
@Steve Bolger No warheads using enriched uranium have been fabricated since the 1960's as they would be far to heavy to launch on a missile. All nuclear weapons use triggers fabricated from plutonium-239, even those built by North Korea with its limited resources, as plutonium can be synthesized from natural uranium and purified chemically, and the resulting warhead is far smaller but equally powerful. Iran's actions are purely symbolic, a protest against the violation of the agreement by the US.
1
Breaking news as we come on the air: China is accusing the US of "bullying" - fantastic quote from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. I am glad this quote is used to support the NYT position with ample opinions from Iranian spokespersons. Balanced reporting on this issue might want to include some US opinions on why these policies are felt to be necessary, and perhaps some counter opinions from other US based scholarly sources. I do not find this article to be well balanced or informative.
4
@Little Phila Apparently the policy is necessary to provide evidence that the US is impulsive and irrational.
@Little Phila
I don't feel as if we have a ''Well-balanced" President or policies concerning Iran.
3
@Little Phila, there is no valid US opinions to get out of the deal. Whether you liked the deal when it was agreed to or not at the time, there was no basis for the U.S. leaving it since it was working as designed: Iran was in compliance. Basically by pulling out of it, he ensured not only that Iran would develop a nuclear weapon but also that North Korea would never give up it's program. After seeing Trump pull out of the Iran deal, they will never agree to denuclearize. They are not that dumb.
5
Hmmmm. China, which steals western technology and hundreds of thousands of jobs has no standing.
3
Well, it was presidente Trump who walked away from a good agreement (not perfect but good enough for our interests and to preserve the peace in the area) Now It is Trump the one making difficult for the Europeans to keep that agreement forcing them to live even they do not want to... Of course our government is bullying Iran! (in doing so they are not thinking in us, the American citizens but in the Saudis and the government of Israel´s interests)
What do you expect Iran to do?
25
This is so reminiscent of the Iraq debacle. A decision to act is made before the consequences can be accessed. In Trump's case the decision had everything to do with Obama and nothing to do with the stability of the Middle East. We now have a new modifier when it comes to Trump's stupidity. We can now describe it as "nuclear".
24
@Rick Gage
That's because this war, like the Invasion of Iraq in 2003 has nothing to do with the actual country being invaded, and everything to do with a President who fears he will lose re-election needing a war to secure his second term.
At no point in the last 240 years has the US NOT re-elected a sitting president who running for re-election during wartime. You might argue that Lyndon Johnson would have lost in 1968 which is why he didn't run, but the fact is that the streak is still unbroken. If Trump starts a war between now and like June 2020, it increases his re-election chances by a significant margin
18
@Samuel - A war with Iran will make the Iraqi war look like child's play. They will attack from many vectors, including I believe right here in America. It will be ugly, very ugly. And, the USA will be alone, except Israel and Saudi Arabia, because no one agrees with Trump or his administration. If Trump thinks attacking Iran will win him reelection, he's even more of a fool than I thought (which is saying a lot!)
3
The continued reference to a 2015 nuclear deal is misleading, and potentially dangerous.
Mr Trump negated the agreement. Those in his administration, in Congress, and in foreign governments have succeeded in thwarting any possibility of capitalizing upon an understanding that held out hope of containing Iran’s realization of joining Israel as a nuclear power. The war cabal has tighten the noose around Tehran leaving it with very few options.
Iran’s “breach” of a defunct pact is therefore meaningless. Our withdrawal made it null and void—not Iran.
Our menacing language and military maneuvers make it quite clear that we will use force against them. Somehow, we keep forgetting that it is our planes, ships, and soldiers that sit in Iran’s backyard. Iran is not in the Gulf of Mexico, or stationed on Canada’s border, or sending its aircraft over our territory.
Should war break out, Americans need to know just where the blame lies—right here.
39
So what?
Unlike Israel, India and Pakistan, Iran is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has no nuclear weapons.
Unlike America, Iran didn't invent and use nuclear weapons nor does it have 48% of the world's nukes.
Unlike Japan, Iran doesn't have tons of enriched weapons grade nuclear material.
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Iran will force Trump to negotiate, not the other way around.
Trump is easy to figure out, ask Russia, China or North Korea.
The United States has gotten tired of losing.
Voters will take care of this in November of 2020.
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I'm no fan of Iran's government, but why does the media keep saying they "breached" the deal. Trump breached the deal, null and void as far as Iran is concerned, so Iran is moving on.
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The U.S. media is breathlessly using the word "breach" to describe Iran's uranium enrichment, when the word breach belongs to Trump.
Iran's actions are rational. Trump's are not.
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get your kids ready to go over there and die.
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Well, Persian pride is as bad as Trump's. Nevertheless, the West is totally stupid when dealing with Tehran. The Iranians are as Westernized as Londoners and are pro Democracy. Trump needs to wade around The Strait of Hurmuz and realize that you could control that waterway with a popgun and a rubber boat. He will take a bath with the North Korean dictator but threatens Iran with total obligation is crazy.
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The Chinese signers of the now defunct nuclear treaty with Iran are now accusing us of bullying Iran. We are certainly bullying them. We withdraw unilaterally from the covenant without giving any methods of preserving a facsimile of the agreement and then proceed to squeeze Iran even more financially. We are fortunate that the Iranians are so afraid of us militarily they have not struck back against the sanctions.
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One more thing:
"British and Gibraltar authorities said the tanker was transporting oil to Syria, and was detained because the delivery would violate the European Union’s sanctions on sales to that war-torn nation — not because it would violate American sanctions designed to choke off Iranian exports."
Complete and utter nonsense from the Brits. This was clearly an oil tanker, not a cargo of weapons that would have been illegal under sanctions. The U.K. is as guilty as it was in 2003 with its lies to justify the invasion of Iraq.
The piracy was clearly aimed at ratcheting up the economic pressure on Iran, not on Syria. It was by all accounts an Act of War. How can Iran's threat to blockade the Straits of Hormuz be considered an Act of War, while the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in Spanish waters is considered perfectly acceptable?
The hypocrisy is maddening, and the West's silence deafening.
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@Hamid Varzi Yes. I agreed with you. The boat was not intercepted in British waters but in Spanish waters. How can that be more acceptable that blockading the straits of Hormuz?
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No, one more real thing: Britain’s a member of the EU. The EU has sanctions against Syria that block oil deliveries to Syria. Therefore seizing the ship was legal, whatever the secondary purposes might have been.
Two birds with one stone much? How about de facto vs. de jure? Possibly it would be diplomatically unwise to say “And Iran, in your face?” And maybe Britain didn’t particularly care to hand Trump anything?
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@Hamid Varzi....so you say "the hypocrisy is maddening"
I hope you mean that on both sides. Iran and their theocracy have done nothing to help their case.
The "death to America" chants and hostage holding of diplomats for 444 days in 1979 has created nothing but fear mongering in America. Not to mention all the proxy wars and armies they fund.
I don't need a history lesson of Persia/Iran. I get it.
But 40 plus years later Iran has created their own quagmire and yet you feel the need to blame America and Britain for Irans problems today.
Hypocrisy on both sides not just one.
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Trump broke the Iran Deal which Iran had been following. Iran was still following the deal, hoping that it could work with Europe to provide trade that the US had sanctioned. Britain just seized an Iran oil tanker, showing that it was just a vassal state of the US instead of working with Iran.
The low levels of Uranium produced by Iran are for their nuclear power plants. Even uranium at higher levels is not used in modern missiles since it is too heavy, plutonium is used which they do not have. Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program as shown by inspections under the Iran Nuclear Deal. Iran as a religious state has issued a fatawa against using WMD’s such as a nuclear weapon. In the Iran-Iraq war where the US provided access to Saddam to chemical weapons, Iran chose not to use them. Also in over 200 years Iran has not invaded another country.
Trumps sanctions on Iran in itself are an act of war against Iran hurting their civilians - a UN war crime.
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@steve What is never revealed, is where Iran and North Korea got their centrifuges. Anyone have an idea?
The bullying has been undeniable. Bullies only target victims they believe cannot reply. That's why the White House caved in with North Korea, Chinese South China Sea expansion and militarisation, Russia's annexation of Crimea and its actions in East Ukraine.
Iran cannot, and would never, pre-emptively attack anyone. This has been its record for over 200 years, Instead, it has been building up its missile defences and forward defences in the face of 40 years of threats by the U.S. and Israel. The aim is to make any attack by the Axis extremely costly for the attackers.
It's as simple as that. In the absence of nuclear weapons, that would have guaranteed a 'war deterrent', or M.A.D., Iran has set about guaranteeing the destruction of Israel and Saudi Arabia, and at least 10,000 U.S. military fatalities, in the event of an attack by any of the latter.
Iran's conventional deterrent may not be enough to deter a false flag operation leading to war, but it has no choice in the matter, as it is surrounded by 30 U.S. military bases and hostile neighbours. Saddam was unprepared, as was Qaddafi. Iran isn't.
Let's hope calmer and cooler heads prevail. The presence of Bolton and Pompeo doesn't give much hope that the U.S. will come to its senses.
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@Hamid Varzi
Maybe they should display in our pay checks the cost of all the wars we are having now. We should know exactly how much of our money goes to them and to a war against Iran...that would be the end for Trump pseudo patriotic narrative. No one would like to sacrifice so much to please the saudis and the government of Israel. we rather want to spend all that money in medicare for all and in our internal problems with hurricanes and bad harvests.
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@Hamid Varzi
What is galling about Netanyahu telling Europeans to place sanctions on Iran is Israel's slew of nuclear bombs!
Israel got away with secretly developing nuclear weapons, is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, is not monitored by the IAEA, and American presidents have NEVER condemned Israel for its duplicity.
The only reason Iran wants to be a nuclear power is the existence of Israel's nuclear weapons. They need a defense against Israel's aggression.
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The US pulled out of the agreement!
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Rest assured that Mr. Adelson and Mr. Netentahu have America's best interests at heart as they decide our countries fate in the Middle East.
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So we await to learn of the Trump trifecta's (Trump, Bolton, Pompeo) next move. Let there be no doubt among Americans that this was pre-planned, that the murder of the Iran Nuclear Deal was pre-meditated. Why? The reasons are many. Trump's anathema for all things Obama; his hitching his wagon to war-mongers, to wit, Bolton and Pompeo; the influence of both Netanyahu and Saudi Arabia over a weak and unstable man taking up space in the Oval Office. However, right now the onus falls upon those others who signed their names to the only feasible hope of reining in a rogue country. Will they too squander security and wisdom? Will they too abet another preemptive Middle Eastern endless war?
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It is always encouraging to see a sovereign nation standing up against our evil empire.
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We have nuclear powered submarines that require uranium enriched to a higher level than required for a power plant... so there are plenty reasons besides weapons to do so, especially with the recent developments in their space program.
And as far as those ships being attacked in the Straight, Iran seems like the country with the least motive... Saudi Arabia (Yemen), UAE (Libya), & Israel all had far more to gain.
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Mr Trump seems to like to play game of Chicken in his foreign policy. So far he has been the Chicken ever time. This one WILL cost him his re election.
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Donald Trump's misguided quest to undo anything Barack Obama ever accomplished has left us in a far weaker position vis-à-vis Iran's nuclear ambitions. China is right to lay blame at our feet, for the Trump administration is utterly without strategy on this issue.
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The errors of our current administration have consequences. Pulling out of the joint agreement was one such error. Iran's reactions to the subsequent imposition of added sanctions by the US is but one example of the resulting consequences.
What worries me, what I believe should worry us all is that the consequences may become more dire and intractable going forward.
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Dear Mr. Trump,
Tell us again why you unilaterally encouraged this behavior by 'pulling out'?
You create messes, claim it is someone else's fault, get another someone else to do the dirty work of 'cleaning', then try to worm your way into claiming you will or have already cleaned up after yourself.
Regards,
Tired of a Reality TV President.
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I fear that Mr. Geng of the Chinese Foreign Ministry had it right, labeling our president's actions as "unilateral bullying". Granted that Mr. Trump seems to prefer bullying to diplomacy, responding forcefully to criticisms or to what he perceives as unfairness with loud threats, "fire and fury like never before".
But more than bullying, he prefers to go it alone, unilateral actions devoid of allies. He seems motivated by shaping the U.S.A. and the world in his image alone. If a predecessor , especially Obama, did something, he wants to get rid of it entirely rather than attempt a repair---so Obamacare, the Paris Climate Accord, the Iran nuclear arms deal--all flushed down the toilet. And Trump promises a much better Trump-deal to replace the lost accord (a deal which is unlikely to ever be materialized).
Mr. Trump is too chaotic, unrealistic, to achieve deals that both sides will accept. Do you think that North Korea will denuclearize because of Kim's love affair with our leader? Do you think the trade deal with Mexico is much superior to the former deal ---more than a tweak that could just as well be done diplomatically with much less hullabaloo . And do you think his tariff policy is an economic advance that will bring greater prosperity to America?
Mr. Trump has moved away from a world where diplomacy and like-thinking allies brought accommodation that avoided
big wars---a world where many nations got together to make slow moving improvements.Trump is no diplomat
14
Thank you Donald Trump and that guy with the mustache who desperately wants to wipe out every foe with the flick of a switch. Talk about immediate gratification without thinking about consequences. Right 63 million Americans?
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@Two America’s
That's 300 million+ Americans, please.
1
Trump "Iran will never have a nuclear weapon", "Iran is collapsing and bankrupt", "Iran better be careful with it's enriched uranium", Iran detonates nuclear weapon, Trump "If Iran ever threatens the US there will be fire and fury." . ..Trump "Obama's fault Iran got nuclear weapons."
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@Winston Smith
The agreement was only as good as Iran is honest. If Iran is honest, there will be no nuclear weapon because they say so. If Iran is honest, they had nothing to do with the attacks on the tankers in the Straits of Hormuz, the thousands of IED’s that killed Americans and countless Iraqi civilians, or the brutal massacre of civilians in Syria.
This would not have happened if our "stable genius" president did not pull out of the agreement. This shows the agreement was working. Who know what will happen next.
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I'm glad somebody is standing up to Trump. Sure isn't happening here in the US.
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@Alex
And stood up to Carter, back then...
For a while we could hope that all of the sound and fury of edicts delivered by 6am tweets signified nothing - but Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear record, and his administration's hawkish, ignorant vacuum where diplomacy should be, is a grave threat to the region's stability.
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@common sense advocate, we had another 7 or 8 years to further negotiate nuclear enrichment and increase diplomatic and trade relations (ok maybe not oil) with Iran.
Instead we get President Trump's game of chicken, a show of force against a country's sovereignty and a betrayal of the trust that foreign counties had in the United States' negotiations. "The Art of The Deal"? More like "How to Lose Friends and Influence Around The World".
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@rixax - game of chicken is exactly right!
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Who said that Iran wants to build a bomb and it’s nuclear program was not aimed at energy production? Netanyahu? Trump? Whoever said that knows what they are talking about!
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Thank you President Trump for making the world a "Dangerous Place again", by pulling out of the nuclear agreement.
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@bernardoliver
you got the 2020 campaign slogan: WMD
"World More Dangerous"
1
There is no nuclear deal with Iran. Trump tore it up. Then he imposed additional sanctions on Iran above and beyond what the Obama deal stipulated. There are no requirements for Iran to adhere to. It isn't possible to violate a nonexistent deal.
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Huh? Just because the US backed out of the multi-lateral deal doesn’t mean it no longer exists. The other signatories are trying to maintain the deal, which is made harder by Trump’s ill conceived go-it-alone with no real strategy approach.
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I wonder if Trump’s “base” has considered that if Iranian nuclear missiles someday rain down on America some of those who burn will be white, Christian males.
Trump has made has far weaker and less safe.
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@Tiago Trump is not letting them. Any business that tries to deal with Iran will be subject to Trump's revenge.
1
Whatever Iran does with its nuclear program is between Tehran and the other signatories of the 2015 nuclear pact, Russia, China and the Europeans. The United States has no say in the matter since Trump ended American participation in the pact, and Israel never had any say despite Netanyahu's attempts to tell the Europeans what to do.
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@Christy
What is galling about Netanyahu telling Europeans to place sanctions on Iran is Israel's slew of nuclear bombs!
Israel got away with secretly developing nuclear weapons, is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, is not monitored by the IAEA, and American presidents have NEVER condemned Israel for its duplicity.
The only reason Iran wants to be a nuclear power is the existence of Israel's nuclear weapons. They need a defense against Israel's aggression.
1
Ah, gee I thought Trump fixed this problem all by himself, as he and only he can. Stable genius.
Guess I was right.
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