Report: Iran Nuclear Deal Must Clear One Last Hurdle Before Reinstatement
(Newsmax/"The Record With Greta Van Susteren")
By Jay Clemons | Wednesday, 28 September 2022 08:09 PM EDT
The so-called Iran Nuclear Deal has one last "huge obstacle" to clear before being reinstated, citing an Axios report.
According to a senior European diplomat, that final hurdle involves the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) closing its investigation into Iran, which allegedly ignored certain security safeguards and did not fully disclose reports of its nuclear activity.
"At midnight on Aug. 15, we thought we had a deal," the European diplomat told Axios, when characterizing the back-and-forth proposals between Iranian and U.S. officials, which, at the time, reportedly included a few lingering technical issues.
Axios also reports that a recent public address from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called for the U.N. General Assembly to guarantee the United States would not abandon any future nuclear deals — a likely reference to then-President Donald Trump's rescinding America's commitment to the nuclear pact in 2018.
However, in private settings, Raisi reportedly has been more focused on the ongoing IAEA probe.
Axios reports a senior U.S. official confirmed that information, when briefed on Raisi's recent meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Council President Charles Michel.
Axios' European source also revealed the Iranians are convinced the U.S. could simply tell the IAEA to make the problem disappear, but IAEA chief Rafael Grossi and the White House are "adamant" the agency's concerns must be adequately addressed before ending the investigation.
The chief IAEA grievance, according to reports is that U.N. inspectors found uranium particles when making on-site visits to Iran.
"Something happened in Tehran. Maybe the highest authority in Iran decided it doesn't want a deal without being sure the investigations will be closed," the European diplomat told Axios about the August negotiations.
Earlier this month, 50 House Republicans and Democrats implored President Joe Biden to exhibit full transparency with Congress regarding the rumored revival of the Iran Nuclear Deal — before any papers are signed.
The lawmakers requested the White House share the text of any potential nuclear agreements involving Iran with House members.
As Newsmax chronicled then, congressional leaders were concerned that certain provisions in a revised nuclear pact could result in weakening U.S. sanctions on Iran that "are meant to target funding" of terrorist activities, according to the letter.
The Iran nuclear deal, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action pact from 2015 (JCPOA), was created under then-President Barack Obama.
As part of the pact, Iran agreed to eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium and also cut its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by 98%.
In return, the Iranian leaders reportedly collected $150 billion from other countries, including the United States.
In July, former national security adviser John Bolton told Newsmax that diplomacy wouldn't be the answer to defusing Iran's nuclear capabilities.
Iran "can still be stopped, but somebody's going to have to [physically] do it. And it won't come from [reviving] the failed Iran nuclear deal," Bolton said while appearing on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren."
The original Iran nukes deal was an expensive lesson for U.S. officials, Bolton said, since Iran apparently didn't adhere to the terms of the agreement.
Iran's nuclear program, "as we know it, is extremely vulnerable," said Bolton, when brainstorming ways to vanquish the country's means for uranium enrichment and then converting the uranium to a gaslike state.