FPI Analysis: What They Said Then, What We Know Now about the Iran Nuclear Deal

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Nearly one year ago, the United States and its international partners reached a landmark agreement with Iran that would curtail Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for robust sanctions relief. In multiple speeches, interviews, and congressional hearings that followed, U.S. officials defended the accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), by hailing its intrusive inspections regime, pledging to continue sanctioning Iran for non-nuclear misbehavior, and asserting that the deal may spur the regime to moderate its policies. This FPI Analysis evaluates these claims by compiling the administration’s own statements in defense of the agreement, and comparing them with subsequent developments.

Read more at FPI Analysis: What They Said Then, What We Know Now about the Iran Nuclear Deal | Foreign Policy Initiative

 

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Secret from whom? Israel?...

U.S., others agreed 'secret' exemptions for Iran after nuclear deal: think tank
Thu Sep 1, 2016 - The United States and its negotiating partners agreed "in secret" to allow Iran to evade some restrictions in last year's landmark nuclear agreement in order to meet the deadline for it to start getting relief from economic sanctions, according to a think tank report published on Thursday.

The report, which was released by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, is based on information provided by several officials of governments involved in the negotiations. The group's president David Albright, a former U.N. weapons inspector and co-author of the report, declined to identify the officials, and Reuters could not independently verify the report's assertions. "The exemptions or loopholes are happening in secret, and it appears that they favor Iran," Albright said.

The report ignited a chorus of Republican criticism, including from the campaign of presidential nominee Donald Trump. His campaign sought to link the findings to Trump's Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, who was secretary of state when secret talks were held with Iran but had left office before formal negotiations began. "The deeply flawed nuclear deal Hillary Clinton secretly spearheaded with Iran looks worse and worse by the day," said a statement issued by retired Army General Michael Flynn, a top Trump adviser. "It’s now clear President Obama gave away the store to secure a weak agreement that is full of loopholes." The Clinton campaign did not immediately comment on the report.

The White House said it took "significant exception" to some of the report's findings, saying that the easing of sanctions was always dependent upon Iran's adherence to the agreement. "The implementation date was driven by the ability of the (International Atomic Energy Agency) to verify that Iran had completed the steps that they promised to take," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at a briefing on Thursday. "That is what precipitated implementation day. Since then Iran has been in compliance with the agreement," Earnest said.

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