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OPINION:
Iran suffers from massive unemployment, high inflation, growing poverty, pervasive corruption and a social system that disrespects women. It’s this governing theocracy that wants sanctions relief and access to international financial institutions. It’s this corrupt government that wants the hundreds of billions of dollars in sanctions and frozen assets lifted while being permitted to remain a threshold nuclear weapons state that threatens Israel and the rest of the region.
Iran wants the ability to enrich uranium for so-called peaceful purposes despite a record of subterfuge. The intelligence community in 2007 assessed that “Iran halted its work on nuclear weapons in 2003 but continued to acquire nuclear technology and expertise.” Iran enriched uranium to 20% purity in the early 2000s and most recently to 66% purity, putting it just weeks away from racing to highly enriched uranium at the 90% purity level needed for nuclear weapons. Despite denying International Atomic Energy Agency access to certain Iranian nuclear sites, Iran apparently claims compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which requires such access.
Iran and other nonnuclear weapons states have a right to pursue peaceful civilian nuclear programs. In fact, the five nuclear weapons states enshrined in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty are encouraged and obligated to provide the nonnuclear weapons states with the equipment, materials and information related to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Indeed, Iran can purchase low enriched uranium from the IAEA and others for civilian nuclear energy research and development, for medical or agricultural isotopes or scientific research. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty does not give Iran or any other nonnuclear weapons state a stated right to enrich uranium. It does, however, give these states the right to research, develop and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
What makes Iran different from other nonnuclear weapons states is that Iran is a designated state sponsor of terrorism, providing its proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis the support, weapons and training necessary to foment instability throughout the Middle East. It’s a state sponsor of terrorism that had a nuclear weapons program until 2003 and has since enriched uranium at such high levels that it could have a nuclear weapon in weeks, while denying IAEA monitors unfettered access to their nuclear sites at Natanz and Fordow.
Iran wants to remain a threshold nuclear weapons state, with the option to quickly build nuclear weapons to intimidate adversaries. This would complement the work of Iran’s Quds Force, experts at unconventional warfare. Also of concern: Permitting Iran to remain a threshold nuclear weapons state could persuade Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey to pursue their own nuclear weapons programs.
Iran’s ballistic missile programs are another indicator of the regime’s malevolent intent. Much of the technology and training for their short- and medium-range ballistic missiles was provided by North Korea, part of the axis of authoritarian states (Russia, China, Iran and North Korea). However, for the past few years, Iran has been working on its long-range ballistic missiles, which could eventually target Europe and the U.S. Iran is providing Russia with drones for its war in Ukraine, as well as the technology to produce these drones in Russia.
In 2018, President Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in part because of the sunset clauses, starting in January 2016, that permitted Iran to upgrade its centrifuges (to enrich uranium) in 10 years and in 15 years to lift the limit on the amount of low enriched uranium that Iran can possess.
Apparently, Iran is demanding the right to enrich uranium reminiscent of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Permitting Iran to enrich uranium would be a grave mistake.
• Joseph A DeTrani is a former director of the National Counterproliferation Center and former special envoy for six-party talks with North Korea.
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