Obama Administration Trusts Russia on Iran

poThe Obama administration is so desperate to reach a nuclear deal with Iran by the current deadline of November 24th if at all possible that it is willing to trust Russia to play a key implementation role. In the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s duplicity with regard to Ukraine and Putin’s increasingly aggressive stance towards the West that harkens back to the Cold War, the Obama administration is deluding itself into thinking that it can trust Putin to keep his word on ensuring that much of Iran’s uranium stockpile is converted into a relatively harmless end product.

According to an article on November 4th in the New York Times, the Obama administration is encouraged by Iran’s purported willingness to ship much of its huge stockpile of uranium to Russia, which would convert it to fuel rods. The idea is that fuel rods are much more difficult to use in making nuclear bombs. Iran’s current stockpile of uranium is estimated to be in the range of 28,000 pounds, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The New York Times article quoted an unnamed American it claims to be deeply involved in the negotiations as saying that “if the Iran-Russia deal works, it could be the cornerstone of something much larger.”

The New York Times also quoted from a recent speech delivered by Wendy R. Sherman, the chief American negotiator with Iran, in which she presumably alluded indirectly to the proposed Russian involvement in uranium conversion, stating that “we have made impressive progress on issues that originally seemed intractable.”

A senior National Security Council official praised Russia’s role in the negotiations with Iran. The official, quoted by the New York Times, said that “it is accurate to say that the Russians have played a very helpful role during these negotiations.”

Mind you, this is the same Russia whose president lied outright about the presence of Russian military forces in Crimea and has recently added to his barrage of insults against the United States by accusing the U.S. of supporting “neo-fascists” and “Islamic radicals.” Putin has cultivated alliances with both the Iranian and Syrian regimes in order to enhance Russia’s own influence in the Middle East.

This past September, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak announced a series of bilateral projects agreed to between Iran and Russia, worth seventy billion euros. In clear defiance of the U.S.-led international economic sanctions against Iran, Russia’s closer ties with Iran will include cooperation in the energy sector, which Novak described as “mutually beneficial” to the two countries. Areas of cooperation include power, oil and gas and what Novak described, in a meeting with his Iranian energy counterpart, as “the peaceful use of nuclear energy.”

Even if Putin were somehow miraculously sincere in his intentions this time, which is virtually impossible for the Russian leader who is trying to re-create the Russian empire, he cannot control what Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader and ultimate decision-maker, will actually do. Khamenei torpedoed a similar deal worked out between the Obama administration and Iran in 2009 that would have involved the shipment of some of Iran’s nuclear fuel out of Iran. Moreover, Iran has refused to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency unfettered access to conduct inspections anywhere in the country, meaning that Iran would be free to hide some uranium and assets used to produce weapons grade enriched uranium in undisclosed covert locations. Its centrifuges would keep spinning. And Iran’s alternative route to a nuclear arms capability – its heavy water plutonium reactor – would not be affected by a uranium conversion deal with Russia.

Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei, who must sign off on any final deal, said this past May that those Iranians who promote negotiations with the United States are committing “treason.” He also committed his country to jihad against the United States:

“Battle and jihad are endless because evil and its front continue to exist. … This battle will only end when the society can get rid of the oppressors’ front with America at the head of it, which has expanded its claws on human mind, body and thought. … This requires a difficult and lengthy struggle and need for great strides.”

President Obama wants a deal at all cost with Iran to tout as his significant foreign policy achievement. The potentially tragic consequences will be the next president’s problem. The Obama administration thinks that it can get away with even a bad deal, because it assumes that the primary opponents of such a deal – Israel and many members of both parties in Congress – are too powerless to stop it. The administration believes that it is too late for Israel to take unilateral military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities and that the U.S. Congress can be end-run.

In his October 28th article in The Atlantic entitled “The Crisis in U.S.-Israel Relations Is Officially Here,” Jeffrey Goldberg quoted a senior Obama administration official’s epithet accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of cowardice. The charge derives in part from the Obama administration’s belief that Netanyahu is not willing or able to launch a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities at this time.

“It’s too late for him to do anything,” Goldberg quoted another senior Obama administration official as saying, referring to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s purported hesitation “to pull the trigger.”

As for the Congress, the Obama administration has sent strong signals that it believes it does not have to seek formal Senate ratification of any agreement the administration reaches with Iran because such an agreement would not constitute a formal treaty. Moreover, the Obama administration believes that the president has the executive power to unilaterally suspend most sanctions against Iran.

President Obama has no compunctions about thumbing his nose at Congress and countenancing vile insults hurled by his senior lackeys against Israel’s prime minister. But he appears willing to trust one proven liar and aggressor, Putin, to help implement a key part of an agreement with a regime whose supreme leader, a fanatic theocrat, has vowed jihad to destroy the United States.

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  • dwayne roberson

    A significant foreign policy achievement for the Obama administration. This one is straight out of Neville Chamberlain’s playbook.

  • kevinstroup

    When you import a Mexican you import his culture and his attitudes. Look at the state his own native country is in. Is that what you want for the U.S.A.?

  • cree

    Ukraine muddied the water with the Obama/Putin relationship; the sanctions and bluster. Typical geopolitics. But, I’m skeptical Obama considers Putin an enemy.

  • watsa46

    I get it! Thanks to Putin-Obama relationship, there is a tremendous surge in the killing of Muslims!!! Sadly perhaps the good one are dying.

  • El Cid

    in Obama’s future world, Russia, Iran and China form the center of world power.

    He seeks nuclear weapons for Iran–he might as well say it.

    Not sure how he personally benefits–maybe it’s a retirement plan.

    It will be a test of the Republican Party now in power to expose these plans for what they are.

    • JayWye

      Comrade Obama has bought a property in Hawaii. He can retire there,far away from the US mainland that would suffer the brunt of an Iranian EMP strike. Hawaii has huge naval and air force bases to provide defense for the Islands. It has strict gun control,so Comrade Obama can feel safe from assassination. Being far away,it’s harder for any enemy to travel there without the knowledge of the Sec.Service. the military bases provide him with excellent free medical care. He can also fly free on military flights to CONUS when necessary.

  • loulai

    Its not that he trusts the Russians. Its that he wants to strengthen Iran. whatever aids in that goal is OK with him.

  • Pepe Turcon

    Remember this the day Israel will have to nuke Iran….

    • http://www.facebook.com/aemoreira81 aemoreira81

      Israel and Iran will never be allies—but Russia has a working relationship with Israel and Iran individually. If Iran is going to nuke someone, it will probably not be Israel, but someone like Turkey or Saudi Arabia, lest Moscow be furious.

      • JayWye

        Iran’s first use of a nuclear bomb may not be over Israel,but the US,a HEMP attack. A HEMP attack on the US would set us back to 19th century living conditions we are NOT prepared for,and many millions would die from starvation and disease in the first year. It could mean the end of the US. Iran has been testing SCUD launches from containerships,with HIGH altitude detonations characteristic of an EMP attack,and not usable for attacks with conventional warheads . This type of attack is not needed for Israel,Iran’s IRBMs already can reach Israel. But with the US crippled or destroyed,Iran is free to do as they please,without any other Western nation able or willing to interfere with them.

        Then there’s the other major nuke option;the “Test Baker” scenario.
        But that would only affect NYC or the DC area,not the entire nation as would an EMP attack.

  • Sara

    You lost me at “trust Russia”…

  • Erudite Mavin

    Obama has been reading too many articles on the Ron Paul site with the same message and even worse

  • http://www.twitter.com/changeirannow ChangeIranNow

    How cozy. A regime run by an old Marxist who annexes land at a brisk pace and another regime run by Islamist radicals also intent on building a Shia Warsaw Pact and both regularly oppress political opponents, crack down on the internet and enrich themselves and their ruling families at the expense of their own people. Seems like an ideal match doesn’t it? And that should scare the crud out of us because we are sinking back into another Cold War but this time with much more volatile enemies who view negotiation as weakness and accommodation as appeasement by Obama. This does not inspire confidence and only leaves The US in a more dangerous position.

  • Matthew Johnston

    The nuclear corporation was privatized for that purpose to supply Uranium return and reprocessing and then storage. Nuclear power for everyone, no enrichment except a few exceptions as Bush said Canada, Australia. But no new players. So countries such as Iran or a DPRK etc can go through Russia or the PRC. And not be reliant on the west for energy security.

  • RMThoughts

    At least he is speaking with the only adult in the room.

  • JayWye

    Comrade Obama IS the muslim Manchurian Candidate.

    There’s a reason why,post-college,Comrade Hussein traveled to Pakistan,of all places. it’s not because he was a Christian. There’s a reason why Comrade Hussein was aided in getting into college by Saudi money and influence.

    It’s all part of his efforts to weaken the US economically,politically,and militarily.
    “once is accidental,twice is coincidence,three times is enemy action.”

    “The Obama Doctrine can be described in just nine words: Embolden our enemies, undermine our friends, diminish our country.” Frank J. Gaffney Jr.