(01-07-2020 05:44 PM)mrbig Wrote:  

(01-07-2020 05:18 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  But when you support letting Iran develop the bomb, what are you supporting? Supporting the Obama deal with Iran is just that.

Back to the BBC article. I have left out some of the positive (for the USA) aspects to avoid quoting the whole article. The Iran Deal did the following to reduce Iran's capability and capacity to develop a nuclear bomb:

Eliminate ability to enrich uranium to weapons-grade for 10 years:

Quote:Low-enriched uranium, which has a 3%-4% concentration of U-235, can be used to produce fuel for nuclear power plants. "Weapons-grade" uranium is 90% enriched.

Quote:It must also keep the stockpile's level of enrichment at 3.67%.

Quote:In July 2015, Iran had almost 20,000 centrifuges. Under the JCPOA, it was limited to installing no more than 5,060 of the oldest and least efficient centrifuges at Natanz until 2026 - 10 years after the deal's "implementation day" in January 2016.

Reduce Iran's uranium stockpile for 15 years:

Quote:Iran's uranium stockpile was reduced by 98% to 300kg (660lbs), a figure that must not be exceeded until 2031. It must also keep the stockpile's level of enrichment at 3.67%.

Eliminate capacity to enrich plutonium for 15 years:

Quote:Iran had been building a heavy-water nuclear facility near the town of Arak. Spent fuel from a heavy-water reactor contains plutonium suitable for a nuclear bomb.

World powers had originally wanted Arak dismantled because of the proliferation risk. Under an interim nuclear deal agreed in 2013, Iran agreed not to commission or fuel the reactor.

Under the JCPOA, Iran said it would redesign the reactor so it could not produce any weapons-grade plutonium, and that all spent fuel would be sent out of the country as long as the modified reactor exists.

Iran will not be permitted to build additional heavy-water reactors or accumulate any excess heavy water until 2031.

Enhanced inspections for 15 years:

Quote:Inspectors from the [IAEA], ... continuously monitor Iran's declared nuclear sites and also verify that no fissile material is moved covertly to a secret location to build a bomb.

Iran also agreed to implement the Additional Protocol to their IAEA Safeguards Agreement, which allows inspectors to access any site anywhere in the country they deem suspicious.

Until 2031, Iran will have 24 days to comply with any IAEA access request.

How do these restrictions from the Iran deal "support letting Iran develop the bomb"? From what I can tell, so long as Iran complies with the agreement, this eliminates Iran's ability to "develop the bomb" for 15 years, which is plenty of time for:
(1) Additional agreements to improve the Iran Deal;
(2) The anti-government protests in Iran to topple the current regime and allow an educated Iranian with western ties like say Arsalan Kazemi to become the leader in Iran; or
(3) Iran to break the deal and go back to square 1, only with the rest of the world on the USA's side instead of against the USA.

Instead Trump pulls out and Iran can start developing the bomb immediately without an international community that will enforce those restrictions.

It kind of simply overlooks the issue that Israel seems convinced of, that is an 'off the books' nuclear program.

I have actually lost count of the sites Israel exposed through its commando raid on the files in Iran post 2015.

Again, this goes back to OOs point -- we got a piece of paper. A piece of paper that seems to have been fairly well blown off by the Iranian government.

Linky poo to decent article on the problems with the deal, and the Israeli exposures