Troubled Iran nuke deal in search of supporters

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

Many thought that reaching an agreement on nuclear dispute between the West and Iran over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program would be the most difficult work of the nuclear negotiations process. However, it now seems that the most important task - the approval of the deal by the state parties’ legislatures – lies ahead.

The approval process of the agreement is more sensitive than the singing the deal itself, being that in the case of disapproval, things can be turned upside down and the efforts of the negotiators would be in vain. These developments could lead to unpredictable consequences, from the restoration of previous conditions – an irreconcilable contradiction between the West and Iran – to nuclear war.

Iran and the P5+1 group of countries reached a long-awaited comprehensive deal called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on July 14.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, the White House and Sa'dabad Palace are working hard to convince the respective hardliners.

The nuclear deal has segregated public opinion in the United States and Iran.

The Obama administration has had trouble convincing the Republican-dominated Congress to not block the path to resolving the decade-old nuclear dispute with Iran, and in the meantime ensuring that this country would not produce a nuclear bomb.

The majority in the Congress, especially those who come under intense pressure from Israeli interest groups, reject it, claiming that the agreement would open the way for Iran to get a nuclear weapon.

Almost 70 percent of Republicans think the deal was beneficial for Iran, while 39 percent of Democrats thought both Tehran and Washington made out on the agreement, according to a Monmouth University poll released on August 10.

Congress has until September 17 to act, whether to approve or disapprove the agreement. Obama earlier threatened to veto any resolution of disapproval from Congress. In order to block a presidential veto, both the House and Senate would have to secure a two-thirds majority vote.

U.S. citizens are currently divided on the deal. According to the poll, the 61 percent of Americans do not trust Iran to abide by the nuclear deal.

However, White House defended the deal saying that it would prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Expressing Washington’s satisfaction with the comprehensive nuclear deal, the U.S. State Department official said the agreement would realize Washington's strategic goal, which is preventing Iran from building nuclear weapons.

"Of course, a better deal might have been obtained, but the deal is a bit of give and take, then as President Barak Obama mentioned earlier, we must be realistic and dreaming about ‘ideal rewards’ will not lead us anywhere. The current deal blocks all ways for Iran to pursue a nuclear bomb," Alan Eyre, the U.S. State Department’s Persian Language spokesperson, who is a member of the U.S. nuclear negotiator team, told Trend.

Eyre said the achieved nuclear deal requires the most comprehensive supervision, inspection and verification measures. “It will easily be revealed if Iran was to avoid its obligations and the international community can take appropriate measures,” he said.

Many believe that despite the objection of the Republicans and some Democrats, Congress would pass the Iran deal.

There are many reasons for such a decision, as it is very difficult to predict the future development of events, if the nuclear deal fails to be implemented.

Firstly, it can lead to a new conflict, most probably more devastating that the one in the Middle East, which has already been strangled in uninterrupted conflicts and wars. Moreover, this new conflict would probably include the United States.

On the other hand, a violation of the nuclear deal by the United States would weaken Washington’s positions in the world and its partners’ trust, as the high ranking U.S. officials noted.

Commenting on congressional objection over the Iran deal, Eyre said the non-proliferation issue, as well as JCPOA and the appendixes are quite complicated and technical, so some objection by lawmakers might be caused by their lack of enough knowledge about the agreement.

He noted that the U.S. government is attempting to make them more familiar with the deal in order to satisfy them that the obtained agreement realizes U.S. goals.

"Some of the opposition has political and partisan goals, but fortunately the truth will come out. It seems there are enough votes that the agreement will not be rejected in Congress," Eyre said.

Iran’s hardliners are also expected to pass the deal, as the agreement will put an end to sanctions regime and Iran’s isolation. It will also do away with hindrance to the inflow of petrodollars and investments in the country.