Special Edition: Reactions to the Implementation of the Iran Nuclear Deal

Expert Support for Nuclear Deal - The Iran Project has published a statement, signed by 53 national security leaders, including former National Security Advisors Brent Scowcroft, Zbigniew Brzezinski and Defense Secretary William Perry, supporting the implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement. The statement reads, “we welcome and support the announcement of implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.” Implementation of the deal “marks an unprecedented success in the longstanding international effort to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.” Iran’s reduced nuclear program, “is now under some of the most sweeping inspections and transparency obligations in history.”

--“U.S. leadership has brought about this unprecedented agreement and U.S. leadership will be necessary to assure that the international community achieves its continuing objective of preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon. Our allies and friends in the region and around the world will continue to look to the U.S. to give the JCPOA its best chance to make the world secure from an Iranian nuclear threat and achieve a major advance in stopping the proliferation of nuclear weapons.” Read the full statement here. http://bit.ly/1lvrRql

Editorial Roundup:

The New York Times - “This is a moment many thought would never come: Iran has delivered on its commitment under a 2015 agreement with the United States and other major powers to curb or eliminate the most dangerous elements of its nuclear program. The world is now safer for this.” Read the full story from The New York Times Editorial Board here. http://nyti.ms/1SXOYrf

Los Angeles Times - “Iran's compliance with key portions of the agreement, which was certified Saturday by the International Atomic Energy Agency, places significant obstacles in the way of its ability to develop nuclear weapons. As Obama noted, Iran has removed two-thirds of its centrifuges and shipped more than 98% of its enriched uranium out of the country. It has filled a reactor capable of producing plutonium with concrete.” Full story from the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board here. http://lat.ms/1ZBFy4w

Baltimore Sun - “The implementation of the U.S.-Iran nuclear accord over the weekend marked a milestone for the Obama administration's strategy of patient diplomacy to prevent Tehran from building a bomb… There's no question Mr. Obama's high-stakes diplomacy has made the world safer, at least for the next 10 to 15 years.” Find the full story from the Baltimore Sun Editorial Board here.http://bsun.md/1nyjQCt

The Sacramento Bee - “It’s all too easy for the Republican presidential candidates to criticize every single thing that President Barack Obama does. Voters, however, should ask themselves: Are the GOP hopefuls offering any realistic solutions or options? … Diplomacy – painstaking negotiations led by Secretary of State John Kerry over many months – did produce results. Iran’s nuclear weapons program has been slowed for a decade or more without military action that could very well have sparked a war. The world is a safer place now than it was before the deal – even if Republican candidates won’t say it.” Full piece from The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board here. http://bit.ly/20eOC1g

Analysis:

Obama’s grand slam - “In five days last week, President Barack Obama hit a remarkable national security trifecta. He secured the release of American sailors within hours after they had drifted into Iranian waters, avoiding a major confrontation. He nailed down the dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear complex, effectively making that country a nuclear-weapon-free zone. He topped it off with the dramatic release of five American prisoners held in Iran, including Jason Rezaian, plus Rezaian’s wife and mother,” writes Joe Cirincione, president of Ploughshares fund for Defense One.

--“Just five years ago, the talk in Washington was about war… But diplomacy proved superior to military action. Iran has surrendered its nuclear-weapons capabilities. It has ripped out two-thirds of its centrifuges for enriching uranium, shipped out 98 percent of its stockpile of uranium gas, and accepted strict limits on all its activities for at least 15 years. The ban on Iran developing nuclear weapons and the unprecedented inspection regime praised by experts have no expiration date. Like diamonds, they last forever.” Full piece here. http://bit.ly/1PFgvrR

Video - Joe Cirincione speaks with Fareed Zakaria about implementation day on CNN: http://bit.ly/1OGgbt1

Bold diplomacy pays dividends - “Over the course of the past four decades, Iran’s official paranoia has rarely proven negotiable. That American officials succeeded in moving the needle on three distinct issues — the nuclear program, the imprisoned dual nationals, and the outstanding financial claims — suggests the possibility that Tehran can demonstrate newfound flexibility on other core ideological issues,” writes Suzanne Maloney for the Brookings Institution.

--“The successes are also a testament to the Obama administration’s investment in diplomacy and, in particular, to the heroic personal engagement of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The prisoner release will not persuade critics of the deal to change their position, but it underscores the utility of dogged efforts and quiet dialogue to solve seemingly intractable issues. Republicans on the presidential campaign trail have been vocal in criticizing the negotiations and the American concessions to Tehran, but it is difficult to imagine there is any additional traction to be gained from grumbling about the liberation of innocent Americans. Full article here. http://brook.gs/1PFnDVn

See also - “Iran Nuclear Deal Implementation Day: A Belfer Center Expert Round-Up” http://bit.ly/1ZBu15k

Video - Jim Walsh, Reseach Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Securites Studies Program discusses implemention day and sanctions on CCTV: http://bit.ly/1ZMsS07

Celebrating the Iran Deal - “Diplomacy's great promise is that one can never predict where discussions will lead once they have begun. Serious, sustained negotiations first produced a historic nuclear deal between the U.S. and Iran. They continued working together to ensure that 10 American sailors were released from Iranian custody ... And now, high-level negotiations have led to the release of four Americans imprisoned in Iran in exchange for Iranians imprisoned in the U.S. The positive impact that diplomacy is having on human rights cannot be overstated,” Full story from Reza Marashi in the The World Post here. http://huff.to/1n2T2K9.

See also - “The Elders welcome the lifting of sanctions against Iran” http://bit.ly/1nmc2Ec

Secret channel gets results “Fourteen months ago, President Obama authorized a top-secret, second diplomatic channel with Tehran to negotiate freedom for Americans who had disappeared or been imprisoned in Iran. It was a high-risk diplomatic gamble … After debate within the Administration, Obama approved the initiative. But it was so tightly held that most of the American team engaged in tortuous negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program were not told about it,” reports Robin Wright for The New Yorker.

--“The United States had hoped to make the announcement of the Americans’ release this morning, but Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency preëmpted Washington with its own announcement that four Iranian-Americans imprisoned in Iran had been freed as part of a prisoner exchange, following a decision by the Supreme National Security Council … The release marked the end of a troubled saga that had been further politicized during the U.S. electoral season.” Read the full article here. http://bit.ly/1OXp3xY

 

Video - Joe Cirincione’s reaction to the prisoner exchange on MSNBC: http://bit.ly/1V8yHOC

Worth the risk - “Hopes can always be dashed. But better hopes than fears. As of now, it is obvious that President Barack Obama’s gamble in negotiating with Iran — negotiations ably conducted by Secretary of State John Kerry — has enhanced both the reality and the perception of security in the Persian Gulf. There remain malcontents. But they are so far being proved wrong, at least in regard to overall regional security,” writes Robert Hunter for LobeLog.

--“Of course, the caterwauling in US politics is now in full swing over the lifting of some sanctions against Iran. If the presidential candidates are serious — a big if in a presidential campaign—they must know that, whichever one accedes to the Oval Office, he or she will be thankful for the JCPOA. All the campaign rhetoric about abandoning the deal is just that, campaign rhetoric.” Find the full article here. http://bit.ly/1Wu5EX9

See also - “Factsheet: implementation of the Iran nuclear deal” from the Center for Arms Control and Non-proliferation. http://bit.ly/1PpGmUm

Politicizing the deal is dangerous - “The nuclear agreement with Iran, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is working. Yet some U.S. lawmakers continue to oppose the deal and have been promoting legislation to defund the deal’s implementation and impose new sanctions on Tehran. If Congress continues on this path, the chances that the deal will succeed and lead to a nuclear free Iran will be diminished,” writes Larry Hanauer for The Hill.

--“Given Iran’s past history of hindering nuclear inspectors and engaging in covert nuclear research, the JCPOA wisely made sanctions relief contingent on Iran’s first having verifiably undertaken steps to dismantle its nuclear program. It has completed these tasks, and it is now the United States’ turn to implement its obligations under the deal, which include sanctions relief.” Find the full piece here. http://bit.ly/1Ji0ATY

See also - “3 Steps to ensure U.S.-Iran dialogue continues under future administrations,” by Trita Parsi and Tyler Cullis for the World Post. http://huff.to/1RzX89y

Video - Daryl Kimball, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association discusses the future of the Iran deal on C-SPAN: http://cs.pn/1ZweqUs

Will good relations outlast Obama? - “The last few days have witnessed major milestones between the United States and Iran, including implementation of a landmark nuclear deal, a prisoner exchange and resolution of a financial dispute that goes back to the severing of diplomatic relations between the two countries 36 years ago … But questions remain about whether this paradigm shift will survive the Barack Obama administration,” writes Barbara Slavin for Voice of America.

--“Along with satisfaction, there was immediate skepticism in some quarters about the negotiations, and whether or not diplomacy can produce more breakthroughs. Republican presidential candidates predictably criticized the prisoner exchange as lopsided, if not foolhardy, suggesting it would only encourage Iran to take more ‘hostages’ in the future.” Find the full piece here. http://bit.ly/1OB0T91

See also - “CAP President Neera Tanden on Confirmation that Iran Has Been Complying with Nuclear Agreement,” from the Center for American Progress http://ampr.gs/1nygz6k

Tweet - @SenatorDurbin: On Sat, the IAEA certified that Iran has met it's #IranDeal obligations. Last night I spoke on the Senate floor: http://bit.ly/1V8lsO2

Quick Hits:

--“Iran Deal Implementation: a Good Day For American National Security,” Jim Walsh, Edward Levine and Lt. Gen. Robert Gard comment on implementation for The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferationand the Council for a Livable World. http://bit.ly/1RSXt7S

--“In Celebration of the Iran Deal,” by Peter Jenkins for LobeLog. http://bit.ly/1JhWyuO

--“The GOP debate on Iran was American foreign policy at its most juvenile — and dangerous,” by Max Fisher for Vox. http://bit.ly/22ewI0O

--“Implications of Iran's Nuclear 'Implementation Day," featuring Barbara Slavin, Atlantic Council and sponsored by Women's Foreign Policy Group. Noon Jan. 22 at the Wilderness Society, 1615 M St. NW, Washington. Register here. http://bit.ly/1RxW8mp

--Ploughshares Fund President Joe Cirincione presents the keynote address at the opening session of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty’s symposium, Science & Diplomacy for Peace & Security, Jan. 25 at the Vienna International Centre, Vienna, Austria. RSVP online here. http://bit.ly/1QG5hbR

--“Symposium: Science and Diplomacy for Peace and Security; The CTBT at 20," presented by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization. From January 25 - February 4, at the Vienna International Centre, Vienna. Participants can take part in the symposium in person or online. RSVP online. https://ktp.ctbto.org/

--Doomsday clock announcement by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, featuring Rachel Bronson, Lawrence Krauss, Thomas R. Pickering, Sharon Squassoni and Sivan Kartha of the Bulletin. Jan 26 at 1:30 p.m. at the National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, Washington, D.C., in the Zenger Room. RSVP by contacting: Patrick Mitchell, (703) 276-3266 and pmitchell@hastingsgroup.com; or Alex Frank, (703) 276-3264 and afrank@hastingsgroup.com. A live streaming webcast of the event will be available here. http://bit.ly/1PpGNhx

--Address to the United Nations Association of the United States, Palm Beach County Chapter by Ploughshares Fund President Joe Cirincione. Jan. 27 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Royal Poinciana Chapel, 60 Cocoanut Row, Palm Beach.

--“Centrifuges, Sanctions and Security," featuring Paul Carroll, Ploughshares Fund. Jan. 27 from 6:30-9:00 p.m. at Dominican University, Caleruega Dining Hall, 50 Acacia Ave., San Rafael, CA. Dinner reservations required by Jan. 22. RSVP here. http://bit.ly/1IOuOh8

--“Pin-Down Diplomacy: How Wrestling Promotes US-Iran Ties.” Featuring Gregg Sullivan from the State Department, Bahman Baktiari of the International Foundation for Civil Society; James Ravannack of USA Wrestling; and Christina 'Kiki' Kelley from USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Team. Moderated by: Barbara Slavin of the Atlantic Council. February 2 from 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Located at the Atlantic Council, 1030 15th Street NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20005. RSVP here: http://bit.ly/1SxeNz9