The Zionist Organizations of America (ZOA) opposes the US State Department certification that Iran is in compliance with the terms of the 2015 Vienna nuclear deal, under which Iran received $150 billion in unfrozen Iranian assets and sanctions relief, while enabling Tehran to retain all the components of its nuclear weapons program.
Former US Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, has pointed out, “Certification is an unforced error because the applicable statute (the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, or “INARA”) requires neither certifying Iranian compliance nor certifying Iranian noncompliance … considerable information detailing Tehran’s violations of the deal have become public, including: exceeding limits on uranium enrichment and production of heavy water; illicit efforts at international procurement of dual-use nuclear and missile technology; and obstructing international inspection efforts (which were insufficient to begin with) … Certifying compliance is far from neutral. Indeed, it risks damaging American credibility should a decision subsequently be made to abrogate the deal” (John Bolton, ‘Trump must withdraw from Iran nuclear deal — now,’ The Hill, July 16, 2017).
This 2015 Iran nuclear deal permitted Iran to retain thousands of centrifuges, enriched uranium stocks that can be easily converted into weapons grade material; its major, known nuclear facilities; and its ballistic missiles, ballistic missile research and other R& D programs related to nuclear weapons. It also removed sanctions on top Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commanders and other identified sponsors of Iranian-backed terrorism.
The deal also insulated Iran from the consequences of any violations by permitting a time lapse of 24 days for any inspections that might be demanded in the case of prime facie evidence of Iranian violations; permitted Iran to provide its own soil samples to prove it is in compliance and bans any inspectors from any and all sites that the Islamic Republic declares to be “military sites.”
The ZOA is deeply concerned that President Trump has permitted, for a second time, the State Department to certify that Iran is in compliance with the deal when in fact it has been violating the agreement in numerous ways as well as acting in ways inimical to peace, including:
- An immediate, massive 32% increase in Iranian military spending;
- Iranian refusal to permit International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to inspect its Parchin nuclear facility and demand for a closure of investigation of the possible military dimension (PMD) of its nuclear program;
- An $8 billion 2016 arms deal with Russia, whereby Iran is to purchase the S-300 air defense system, enabling it one day to insulate its nuclear sites from American or Israeli strikes, as well as Sukhoi-30 jets, comparable to American F-15 fighter-bombers;
- Exceeding in November 2016 the 13 metric ton threshold permitted under the deal for stocks of heavy water, according to the IAEA;
- Replacing in December 2016 old centrifuges with new IR8 centrifuges that can be used to produce weapons grade uranium in far less time;
- Testing ballistic missiles in January 2017 without approval from the UN Security Council, contrary to U.N. Resolution 2231, passed shortly after the nuclear deal was signed, which calls on Iran “not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology,”
- And continuing its “illegal proliferation-sensitive procurement activities” at a “quantitatively high level,” according to the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “We are deeply concerned that President Trump has permitted for a second time the State Department to certify that Iran is in compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, a deal so bad that even were Iran complying with its terms, President Trump, prior to his election, rightly described it as the ‘the worst deal ever negotiated.’
“As we have indicated, the radical Iranian Shia terrorist-promoting and regionally destabilizing regime in Tehran has been violating the deal in numerous ways, while also expanding its use of terrorist proxies and altogether increasing the burden of peril and insecurity in the Middle East and around the world. Iran is also developing ICBM’s whose only function is to carry a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the USA and Europe.
“In these circumstances, certifying that Iran is in compliance with the deal is a clear mistake, and indeed a falsehood.
“Little wonder that former Israel National Security Council head, Major-General Yaakov Amidror, said only this week of the Iran deal that it is ‘the source of all the problems … It is even more dangerous than we imagined when signed.’
“We are aware and appreciate the fact that, since entering the White House, President Trump has imposed sanctions on entities and individuals involved in procuring technology and/or materials to support Iran’s ballistic missile program, or acting for/on behalf of, or providing support to, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods [Jerusalem] Force (IRGC-QF). But, certifying that Iran is in compliance remains factually wrong and is a major mistake.
“We urge President Trump, who has shown a clear understanding of the danger posed to America, Israel and the world by the Nazi-like Tehran regime, to rescind this certification, to declare Iran in breach and to take steps to end the deal, which can only lead to Iran becoming a nuclear power, with all the unspeakable consequences that would entail.”