February 18, 2014 | Quote
Nuclear Talks with Iran Headed for Collision in Austria
Iranian and U.S. negotiators began meeting Tuesday for a new round of talks over a nuclear program that Iranian leaders are vowing to keep despite a threat from the U.S. Senate of harsh sanctions should the talks fail.
The Obama administration has said the negotiations in Vienna will lead to a pact that would curtail Iran's ability to convert nuclear fuel to atomic weapons fuel. Israel, which sees the program as a threat to its existence, has threatened to attack Iran's nuclear facilities if negotiations do not prevent Iran from being able to build a bomb.
Though Iran agreed to limit some of its technology in an initial agreement in November it has since said it will not roll back centrifuges that can enrich uranium into bomb material, nor will it abandon a plutonium plant project in Arak or open up for full inspection a secret plant in Fordow.
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The many Iranian statements about their negotiating position are a sure sign the talks will be difficult, if not fruitless, says Reuel Marc Gerecht, an analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies who used to focus on Iran as a CIA officer.
When Zarif and others say in the most clear-cut way they are not going to dismantle that program, “they're not kidding,” Gerecht says. “They're intent on finishing the centerpiece of what's been their military strategy for 20 years.”
Talking is “worth a try,” Gerecht said. “Because you're only other options are surrender or military strikes, (neither of which) are not that appealing to the White House.”