Monitoring Iranian Weaponization Activities: Another Crucial Flaw of the Nuclear Deal

Read the full memo here.

Introduction

The nuclear agreement has emboldened the Islamic Republic. Since signing the deal in the summer of 2015, Iran’s behavior around the world and especially in the Middle East has become more aggressive. During the course of the negotiations that led to the nuclear agreement, Israeli officials from across the political spectrum expressed concerns about the trajectory of the negotiations. As the details of the agreement emerged, Jerusalem warned that the deal was deficient on many levels. There are concerns that Europe will defy U.S. sanctions should Iran refuse to accept additional restrictions leading to a reinstatement of sanctions. However, when faced with a choice of losing access to the American economy or ceasing business with Iran, European businesses will almost always choose the latter. This paper focuses specifically on the significant deficiencies in the monitoring of Iran’s weaponization activities as prescribed by Section T of Annex I of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, addressing only those flaws related to verification will be insufficient to block Iran’s patient path to nuclear weapons. Instead, the United States and its European allies must work diligently to fix the full range of deficiencies in the deal.

Read the full memo here.

BG (Res.) Professor Jacob Nagel is the Former Israeli acting National Security Advisor and a visiting fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is a Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan policy institute focusing on foreign policy and national security. Visit our website at www.defenddemocracy.org and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.