The United States is about to sign off on a second disastrous and foolhardy deal with Iran. Like Yogi Berra said, “It is déjà vu all over again.” The same group that made the first bad deal is about to make another. The only difference is that it is not President Obama at the helm, but President Biden.
Once again, Israel’s concerns are not being given the time of day. President Biden has said over and over again that he will not allow Iran to make a nuclear bomb. He told this to Israeli officials on his recent visit to Israel.
The problem is that Iran is nearly at a point of nuclear breakout, and a nuclear bomb is achievable in a very short time. No deal is going to stop the Iranians at this point. The deal will only be “smoke and mirrors.” In a very important sense, a bad deal is worse than no deal at all. The Iranians have shown that they never lived up to their half of the bargain with the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), orchestrated by President Obama. The Israelis brought literally truckloads of evidence that showed the Iranians were in non-compliance.
The two main American critics of the first Iranian Deal, former National Security Advisor John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have bounties on their heads.
The Iranians learned all about building a bomb and fooling the West from North Korea. The Iranians have been using the same playbook for years. All the while, Iran has used the $150 billion it received in 2015 from President Obama as part of the JCPOA to remain the number-one state-sponsor of terrorism throughout the world.
North Korea, as of 2020, had 40 nuclear weapons with the ability to make at least seven per year since, and outfitting its long-range missiles with nuclear warheads. If one looks at the timeline on North Korea’s agreements and deals from 1994 with the United States and the West until its nuclear breakout in 2006, one gets an eerie reminder and hint of Iran’s actions. Iran learned to play the chess game from North Korea.
The difference is that Iran is in the Middle East. Although South Korea is central to America’s interests, the Gulf States and Israel are game-changers. The oil states have all joined Israel via the Abraham Accords to fend off Iranian aggression. Yes, the Abraham Accords go much farther and deeper than simply to keep Iran at bay. However, it is Iran’s nuclear ambitions that really got the ball rolling.
Israel is not South Korea. It will not tolerate a nuclear Iran. There is no way of “containing” a nuclear Iran, as some on the Left have proposed. I believe that the proponents of Iran Deal II actually believe that. This is sheer fallacy. Israel and the Gulf States will hold the President to his promise that Iran will not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon under his watch.
I have spoken to Israeli officials about how long it would take to obliterate Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The answer always came back a resounding “few days.” These were high level officials with the intelligence to back it up.
There have been reports of Israeli F-35 jets flying over Iranian airspace. I don’t doubt it.
President Biden is determined to sign an Iran Deal II. It plays well in the Left’s universe. It is not going to stop the Iranians from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Dr. Joe Frager is Chairman of the Israel Advocacy Commission for the Rabbinical Alliance of America; Chairman of the Executive Committee of American Friends of Ateret Cohanim; Dean at Kollel Ayshel Avraham; Executive Vice President of the Israel Heritage Foundation; and a physician in practice for 41 years.