US ex-officials, experts warn of weak Iran deal

The release of the letter, which was signed by Dennis Ross, an adviser on Iran and the Middle East in Obama’s first term, comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry prepares to fly to Vienna on Friday to join the talks.

“Most of us would have preferred a stronger agreement,” the letter released by the Washington Institute said. “The agreement will not prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapons capability. It will not require the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. It will, however, reduce that infrastructure for the next 10 to 15 years.”

The letter also urged the Obama administration to affirm as a matter of policy that Iran would not be able to produce or attain fissile material for a weapon. ” Precisely because Iran will be left as a nuclear threshold state (and has clearly preserved the option of becoming a nuclear weapon state),” said the letter, “the United States must go on record now that it is committed to using all means necessary, including military force, to prevent” such a possibility.

Furthermore, the bipartisan group acknowledged concerns that an agreement could encourage Iran to continue bolstering its military capabilities, support for proxies, and regional interventions.

 

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