Q&A: The Nuclear Agreement between Iran and the West
Question and Answer
The Nuclear Agreement between Iran and the West
(Translated)
Question
On Monday 20/07/2015 the Security Council ratified the Iranian nuclear agreement which was signed on 14/07/2015 in Vienna, Austria between Iran and the 5 + 1 group of states after having been extended twice after the date of signature scheduled on 30/06/2015 according to the Framework Agreement, which was signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on 2/4/2015. So what does this agreement contain, what are its consequences and its repercussions upon the regional situations? And in whose interest is this agreement? JazaakAllahu Khairan.
Answer
It is necessary to (first) present the statements made by the influential states and their stances in order to explain the answer:
1- The US president delivered a televised speech after the signing of the agreement in Vienna in which he said, “…every path to a nuclear weapon will be cut off for Iran… Because of this deal, Iran will remove two-thirds of its installed centrifuges — the machines necessary to produce highly enriched uranium for a bomb — and store them under constant international supervision. Iran will not use its advanced centrifuges to produce enriched uranium for the next decade. Iran will also get rid of 98 percent of its stockpile of enriched uranium… And if Iran violates the deal, all of these sanctions will snap back into place… Because of this deal, inspectors will also be able to access any suspicious location. Put simply, the organization responsible for the inspections, the I.A.E.A., will have access where necessary, when necessary” (BBC, 14/07/2015).
And US Secretary of State John Kerry said, “It (the agreement) will be implemented in phases – beginning within 90 days of the UN Security Council endorsing the deal, and some of the provisions are in place for 10 years, others for 15 year, others for 25 years” (Russia Today, 14/07/2015)…
And the General Secretary of the International Organisation (who voices the American view) said in a statement, “I really hope and believe that this agreement will lead to greater understanding and cooperation around a number of serious security challenges in the Middle East.” He also added, “In this way, it is possible for it, i.e. the agreement, can represent a vital contribution to peace and stability in the entire region and outside of it” (Elaph, 14/07/2015).
2- As for Europe represented by its three branches participating within the group i.e. France, Britain and Germany and all of the Europeans along with them, they supported the agreement. And the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Mogherini stated: “The agreement is a historic event and a good deal and it specifies a peaceful Iranian Nuclear programme and firm arrangements that guarantee that Iran will not work to undertake research or development in a programme that enables it to acquire a nuclear weapon. It is not the end but rather it represents the beginning of work for a new stage of joint cooperation between Iran and international entities” (Russia Today, 07/14/2015).
The French President welcomed the nuclear agreement that was concluded between Iran and the world powers and he stated in a televised address on the occasion of their National Day, “The agreement that we signed was of the greatest of importance and the world continues to move forward”… And the British Foreign Minister Phillip Hammond lauded the ‘Historic agreement’ that was concluded on Tuesday around the Iranian nuclear programme considering that it: “Represents an important change in the relations between Iran, the neighbouring countries and the international community…” (Elaph, 07/14/2015)… This is whilst the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said, “The agreement will contribute to the spread of security in the Middle East… This agreement is responsible and Israel needs to view it with care and not disapprove of the agreement” (ERD Television, Germany 07/14/2015).
3- As for Russia and China then they did not impose conditions and they did not stand in opposition to those western conditions and agreed upon all that occurred:
As for Russia, the Russian president was ‘delighted’ by US President’s phone call after the signing of the final agreement to give Russia some credit as a just reward for its position that complimented it and acted as support for America. Rather America took Russia’s approval for everything before that in regards to what related to the Iranian nuclear programme. The US Secretary of State Kerry during his visit to Russia and his meeting with its President Putin and his counterpart Lavrov on 12/05/2015 in Sochi, Russia, highlighting the ongoing discussions around the nuclear deal, stated, “The unity between Moscow and Washington in this subject represents the key towards the signing of the final agreement”. As such Russian president Vladimir Putin welcomed the agreement around the Iranian nuclear programme and said that the international community received it with ‘great relief’ after negotiations that lasted for many years… From his side the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov promised in Vienna that Russia, “Will partake in the practical steps for the sake of implementing the agreement” (Elaph, 14/07/2015).
As for China’s representative, saying, “It is necessary for all to be endowed with the spirit of positivity in respect to the implementation of the nuclear agreement as the implementation of the nuclear agreement in the first ten years holds a great importance” (Al-Wifaaq site, 20/07/2015). He also said, “Obama has thanked the Chinese Premier for his role in the talks with Iran” (Al-Arabiya Satellite News Channel, 21/07/2015).
4- As for Iran then the level of its delight of the agreement cannot be described! It has forgotten, indeed has buried the notion of ‘The Great Shaytan and the Smaller Shaytan’. Even more, Iranian television broadcasted the speech of American President Obama that he gave after the agreement, welcoming it. This was the second time within 36 years in which Iranian television broadcasted live the speech of an American President, bearing in mind diplomatic ties having been cut between the two countries since 1980! The Iranian President then followed Obama speaking for a few minutes regarding the agreement as the ‘launching point’ toward building trust between his country and the West. He said, “If this agreement is applied in a sound manner… it is possible for us to remove the lack of trust in a gradually manner…” (Elaph site, 14/07/2015).
5- As such all of the negotiating major countries (5 + 1) have viewed the agreement as a ‘historic act’ followed America in respect to that. However two sides opposed it; not because it is not in the American interest but rather for other reasons and these two sides are the Republican Party in America and the Jewish entity…
– As for the Republican Party, it realizes that the agreement is distinctively in America’s interest, however, as common with the Republican Party, it viciously fights to prevent attributing success to the Democratic Party from being credited with a unique vital project for the benefit of America. This is particularly the case when elections are approaching whilst this does not represent anything new. We remember the American hostage crisis that lasted from 04/11/1979 until 20/01/1981 when the Republicans exerted the utmost effort to make the efforts of the Democratic President Carter fail in respect to solving the hostage crisis at that time until it reached the terms of the Republicans and this is what occurred. This is when prominent officials in the Republican Party made contact with prominent officials of Khomeini’s government and agreed to obstruct the freeing of the hostages during the Carter administration and delay it until Reagan’s term after the Presidential elections were completed. This was in return for obtaining American weapons and the freeing of (frozen) Iranian deposits in addition to other agreements… So this is what actually happened and so Reagan had only just pledged his oath of inauguration for the presidency on 20/01/1981 when the American hostages were released, only twenty minutes after the oath, whilst the plane brought them to Washington within a matter of hours. Reagan’s supporters then went out talking about this miracle and the end of this crisis which occurred by the mere arrival of Reagan to the authority of the Presidency…!
The issue now is therefore just like that and is representative of the election struggle between the parties whilst it does not represent a dispute in respect to the American interests. Both parties understand that the nuclear deal represented a victory for America however the Republicans do not want the Democrats to be triumphant in respect to a vital issue that is attributed to them and particularly because the elections have drawn near. It is from this venue that the Republican opposition has entered and it is known that Congress which is controlled by the Republicans opposed the signing of the agreement. This is because the Congress has party calculations to consider related to the presidential elections that are set to take place in November 2016. Therefore the Republican Party acts to prevent the Democratic Party represented in the current administration of the Obama presidency from stealing the limelight after having accomplished a dazzling achievement that would enable it to then go on to win the presidential elections. Obama realises this and as such he threatened to use the veto if the Republicans remain in opposition until the end and obstruct the agreement within Congress…
– As for the Jewish entity, then there is no doubt that they could have dreamed of such an agreement because it made this entity the sole and only possessor of nuclear weapons in the region unchallenged… Despite that, it expressed its opposition due to three matters: The first: The entity expects the Republican Party to win in the forthcoming Presidential elections and so it is assisting it in its early election campaigning. From this it gains a ‘step’ with the Republicans upon their success…
Secondly: The entity expects that Obama will undertake some kind of consoling move towards this entity since the Democrats need the vote of the Jewish lobby and as such the opposition can be a means of blackmail… And thirdly: This is the most important and this is that the entity realises that the rulers in Iran and in the other Muslim countries who trample upon the rights of the Muslims and their weapons will never be able to continue for much longer and that the day when the Islamic Ummah returns to its Deen and its scientists will revive with its vital industry once again will never be delayed… The Jewish entity realises that and for this reason it demonstrates that this agreement is insufficient in order to prepare pressures to go on to pursue the nuclear scientists within the Islamic lands after having pursued the issue of the nuclear weapons in Iran and other Muslim countries…
For these reasons, the entity has demonstrated its opposition and outside of that it comprehends that the Republicans and Democrats are pledged to protect and preserve the security of that entity and that it cannot do without the American protection to preserve its security. This is because the Jews do not have a standing unless it is through a rope provided by Allah or a rope provided by the people whilst they cut their rope with Allah a very long time ago. Now they are grasping on to the rope that is from people and their security rests upon an external factor. An agreement such as this represents a pillar in respect to the preservation of their security and as such their opposition to the agreement is not authentic. For this reason Obama’s Secretary of Defence Carter, at the time when Netanyahu opposed Obama, was received with a big reception in the Jewish state and said, “Israel is a supporting block to our policy in the Middle East and we will never allow for Tehran to acquire a nuclear weapon whilst we are committed to the security and defence of our allies in the region” (Occupied Quds, Quds Net for news agency, 20/07/2015).
6 -Through these statements and positions the following becomes apparent:
A – The extreme eagerness of the American administration to sign this agreement! It dealt with it as if it was its vital issue and not for Iran, Europe or any other country… The American president managed the negotiations from afar, through live contact and immense concern in respect to convening this agreement. He occupied his Secretary of State for three continuous weeks in addition to the contacts that were made before that, all of which indicates the importance and significance of this agreement to America, its interests and the interests of Obama’s administration as it had constricted Iran for decades and prevented it from manufacturing any nuclear weapon. And if we connect this to the previous statements of the American president and other American officials in respect to the importance of the Iranian strategic role in the region and the readiness to work with it, indeed to actually work with it as is (already) apparent, in addition to the statements of the Iranian officials in which they have announced their cooperation with America in Iraq and Afghanistan in addition to their readiness to work with it in fighting terrorism and extremism, and what we see in terms of America’s implicit agreement to what Iran and its party (in Lebanon) is doing in Syria and what also happened in Yemen where it provided Iran with an important role to supply the Houthis with weapons and ammunition, playing a role there until America is enabled to extend its influence over Yemen… All of this indicates that America’s goal behind this agreement is to ease and facilitate matters for Iran through the lifting of sanctions and anchoring its open relationship with it so that it can continue to play the role that would make it easier for America’s work, lightens its burdens and provides a cover for its games with the states and peoples in the region. Therefore Iran will implement the American policy in practise as the case in Iraq, Syria and Yemen however instead of this being implemented from behind a curtain that obscures sight as it had been (before the agreement), it will now take place behind a transparent curtain or no curtain at all!
B- From another angle, it has been noticed that the three European states were on the sidelines of the negotiations! What happened were hardly arrangements prepared by America and Iran about the lifting of sanctions, the nuclear agreement and activating Iran in the service of American projects in the region. There is no doubt that Europe realised this as most of the meetings were secret and indeed the final declaration revolved around the American and Iranian representatives… It was therefore obvious to Europe that the agreement prepared by America will be ratified and as such it withdrew the European objection, particularly from the French, and then the signing was completed… Europe saw that it could gain something from the American agreement and particularly from the lifting of the sanctions and so these countries rushed towards the Iranian arena. Britain announced that it will open its embassy there and France has announced that its foreign minister will travel to Tehran… and the German companies prepared to immediately move towards Iran and moreover from a while back it had drawn out future programmes within Iran and projects that it will implement there.
This appeared throughout the German media and it was as if the Germans had been confident for quite some time that the agreement will take place and that Iran would concede whilst realising that they were hostage to the American signal…
As such there was nothing left before the Europeans, once they had comprehended that they could not prevent the American Iranian nuclear agreement or have an effect upon the American influence, except to move towards Iran to gain the booty by winning investments and projects within it since they (Germany) are suffering from financial constraints and through these it is possible for them to work inside Iran through the long-term in order to regain the European influence or some of it there alongside the American influence…
C- As for Russia and China then they do not covet for influence for them within Iran… And if America facilitates for them trade relations with Iran through the lifting of sanctions then that is enough for them. So if there is more than that, as we mentioned above, the phone call of gratitude from Obama for not opposing the agreement, then all of that is good in their view!
D- As for Iran, all that concerned it was the lifting of the sanctions and to emerge with the appearance of the victor and even if a weapon of might for Islam and the Muslims had been stripped from it and even if the return for that represents a speedy and escalating implementation of the American projects in the region at an even greater pace than it is currently involved in now! Its happiness with the agreement was displayed in addition to support on an official and public level because it annuls the sanctions whilst staying silent about what they gave in return for that… Iranian president Hasan Rouhani gave a televised speech immediately after the signing however he waited until the American president had finished his speech! Rouhani praised the agreement and that it had realised what Iran aspires to. He said, “All of the imposed sanctions upon Iran will be removed the day in which the agreement goes into the realm of implementation…”.
In return for lifting the sanctions were compromises that a free regime would not accept let alone a regime that raises the banner of Islam. Any rational person who scrutinizes these compromises and carefully considers them will be struck by extreme astonishment due to their grotesqueness. After the announcement of the agreement the (web) page ‘Russia Today’ published the most important bands of the agreement on 14/07/2015 and these included:
Imposition of restrictions upon the Iranian Nuclear programme in the long-term with the continuation of enriching uranium at a proportion of 3.67%… Reduction of centrifuges by two-thirds to 5060 centrifuges… Getting rid of 98 percent of its stockpile of enriched uranium… Not be allowed to export nuclear fuel in the coming years or building reactors that function with heavy water and impermissibility of transporting materials from one nuclear facility to another for a period of 15 years… Permitting the entry of inspectors from the International Atomic Power Agency to all suspected sites including military sites however after consulting with Tehran… A continuation of a ban on importing weapons for an additional period of 5 years and 8 years for ballistic missiles… Freeing of frozen holdings and assets worth billions of Dollars… Lifting of sanctions imposed by Europe and the United States from Iran…
And the (web) page added that Iran signed a ‘Road map’ with the International Agency and mentioned:
The restrictions imposed upon Iran in the nuclear area will remain for 8 years… Prevention of Iran undertaking scientific research related to treating nuclear fuel for a period of 15 years… The reserves of low-level enrichment uranium must not increase over 15 years above 300kg….
Iran is committed until the 15th of October to clarify the issues of potential military approach in the dialogue with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The Iranian Persian (News) agency said on 14/07/2015, “The outline of the agreement states the inspection of all the Iranian sites including the military ones in addition to a single visit to the Barshin Military site.”
Added to that is what Obama mentioned in his speech following the agreement “and if Iran violates the deal, all of these sanctions will snap back into place…”
The one who carefully considers these compromises will be overcome by great shock and astonishment due to their grotesqueness as we mentioned above… What is most bizarre and astonishing is that the regime is promoting these compromises as victories! There are those who make mistakes but they acknowledge their mistakes and treat them or attempt to treat them and these are the type of people that one can understand their mistake and their reversing from it. However for people to proceed upon terrible tragedies related to the fate of the Ummah intentionally and deliberately and thereafter counting them to be a victory and success, then that is a deadly darkness which some of its darkness can be lessened by that light that began to appear from some of the aware people in Iran who have not been deceived by the fake victory propaganda. Rather they saw it as a clear and blatant defeat. So the Rajaa site in Iran criticised the agreement and said, “It is not a victory but rather it represents an annihilating defeat because it has closed the doors to a large section of Iranian nuclear technology” (Elaph site, July 14)… Even Khamenei realised that the weapon of promoting victory represents a losing weapon and particularly after Iranian television broadcasted Obama’s speech before the speech of its own president! So the ‘Spiritual Guide of the Revolution’ attempted to rectify this loss by describing America with the characteristic of arrogance… And that its policy differs from his policy… And that he will not negotiate with it… but when?! After it gorged itself of negotiations… after the American nuclear project has made Iran a casualty… Until the sanctions are lifted and the money released which the regime attempted to justify these compromises by, which no argument is established and by repeating that in spiritual speeches, “Indeed these sanctions have caused many problems within the Iranian society” (22/06/2015). And he repeated that another time in his speech which he gave after the signing of the agreement and was broadcast on Iranian television when he said, “The sanctions have left effects upon the Iranian people” (14/07/2015)… All of this is deception because the effects of the sanctions do not wipe out these disgraceful humiliating compromises. Rather this would happen by applying the Ahkaam of Islam honestly and with sincerity and particularly the economic system in respect to the public ownership and state ownership; applied by men who have been truthful to the covenant they have with Allah, so that they make proper use of the profuse resources that exist in Iran, below and upon its surface.
This system is written in the Book of Allah (swt) and the Sunnah of His Messenger (saw) and it is comprehended by anyone possessing a heart or has a sense of hearing whilst he is witness… All of that gives life to the people and revives them from a dreadful life and then the effects of the sanctions will return upon the one who made them and not the one whom they were made for. As for the release of the money then if the costs of the weapons that Iran is giving up are calculated in return for that then there would not be a large difference! What then if the value of morale that the Ummah has lost through the stripping of this important part of its weaponry was added to that?!
Through this manner, the sanctions are dealt with and not by disgraceful humiliating compromises…
إِنَّ فِي هَـٰذَا لَبَلَاغًا لِّقَوْمٍ عَابِدِينَ
“Verily, in this (the Quran) there is a plain Message for people who worship Allah” [21:06].