President Obama delivers remarks to announce a historic nuclear agreement that will verifiably prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon on July 14, 2015.
“Every pathway to a nuclear weapon is cut off,” Obama said, claiming it provides for extensive inspections. “This deal is not built on trust. It is built on verification.”
However, the agreement requires international inspectors to ask Iran’s permission first before they can begin the verification process Obama touted, after which Iran has 14 days to decide whether to grant it. If not, the same group of weakened nations that negotiated the deal would have another 10 days to make their decision about what to do next. While the international group may have final say, that is, if they had the political will and resolve, the deal essentially gives Iran 24 days to drag out the process.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif described the accord as “a historic moment” following the announcement.
“We are reaching an agreement that is not perfect for anybody, but it is what we could accomplish,” Zarif continued, “and it is an important achievement for all of us. Today could have been the end of hope on this issue. But now we are starting a new chapter of hope.”
The deal is a “bad mistake of historic proportions,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday, adding that it would enable Iran to “continue to pursue its aggression and terror in the region.”
