Senior Policy Director John Erath spoke with ABC News about the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
The NPT, however, allows countries to pursue peaceful civilian nuclear programs, like those for energy use.
“They can go right up to the brink, and basically do everything except assemble the weapons in their final form and still be technically in compliance with the treaty. That frightens a lot of countries that are Iran’s neighbors, Israel in particular,” John Erath, senior policy director for the Center for Arms and Non-Proliferation, told ABC News.
…
Erath said that if Iran pulled out of the NPT, it would send a dangerous signal to the world.
“It would signal they are serious about acquiring nuclear weapons. It would be serious and would get the attention of a lot of people,” Erath told ABC News. “Thus far, they have avoided doing so because it’s an international standard that is very important to a lot of people worldwide.”
Erath added, “They [Iran] don’t want to put themselves in a category with North Korea as a state that withdrew from the NPT and cast themselves as an international pariah.”
…
“Whatever they settle on doesn’t interest me because, whatever the degree of damage, they can rebuild. It’s a question of time, longer or shorter, but they can rebuild. If they do rebuild without the IAEA monitoring, how will the world know anything?” Erath said. “What they are signaling is that they are going to be more dangerous the next time around. It really puts us at a kind of fork-in-the-road moment.”
…
Erath said that in the absence of negotiations, Israel and the United States could opt for a military solution again if Iran repairs its nuclear capabilities.
“As a professional diplomat, I’d prefer a diplomatic solution,” Erath said. “But that is going to be much harder to reach for the next time around, and there will be a next time.” Read more
