Iranian Nuclear Deal Reached

Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

President Obama announced his long-sought deal with Iran regarding their nuclear program and was immediately met with praise from his supporters and criticism from others.

“Today, because America negotiated from a position of strength and principle, we have stopped the spread of nuclear weapons in this region,” President Obama said. “Because of this deal, the international community will be able to verify that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not develop a nuclear weapon.”

The deal includes reducing Iran’s centrifuges by 67%.  Enrichment at particular facilities is banned and it limits uranium research and development to one facility.  One U.S. estimate says that Iran goes from being able to assemble a bomb in 2-3 months to at least one year.

Opponents to the deal quickly noted that after the 10 years stated in the deal, Iran could then quickly race to a nuclear weapon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal was a “bad mistake of historic proportions.”

“Iran is going to receive a sure path to nuclear weapons. Many of the restrictions that were supposed to prevent it from getting there will be lifted,” Netanyahu said. “Iran will get a jackpot, a cash bonanza of hundreds of billions of dollars, which will enable it to continue to pursue its aggression and terror in the region and in the world.”

“One cannot prevent an agreement when the negotiators are willing to make more and more concessions to those who, even during the talks, keep chanting: ‘Death to America,”‘ Netanyahu added. “We knew very well that the desire to sign an agreement was stronger than anything, and therefore we did not commit to preventing an agreement. We did commit to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and this commitment still stands.”

The deal has to pass Congress where the deal could face a rocky path based on a statement today from House Speaker John Boehner.

“You know, at the outset of the Iran negotiations, the Obama administration said that a good deal would affirm that Iran does not have the right to enrich.  They also said that keeping sanctions in place until Iran met concrete, verifiable standards.  And, they believed that they had to stop Iran’s drive for a nuclear bomb,” Boehner said.

“Listen, the president has abandoned all of those goals, and that’s why the deal that we have out there, in my view, from what I know of it thus far, is unacceptable.  It’s going to hand a dangerous regime billions of dollars in sanctions relief while paving the way for a nuclear Iran.”

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