Westmoreland Says Iran Doesn’t Have to Prove a Change in Nuclear Plans
By Nancy Badertscher
Read the full article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Claffey said Westmoreland’s statement was based, in part, on the fact that the U.S. does not have any inspectors on the ground to receive firsthand knowledge or confirmation that the Iranians have changed their ways.
The U.S. also is not part of the inspection process, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations entity entrusted with monitoring nuclear nonproliferation commitments, is not permitted access to all Iranian sites, she said.
Claffey also forwarded us links to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s “21 reasons the Iran deal is a bad deal” and to an opinion piece in The New York Times calling it “the worst agreement in U.S. Diplomatic history.” Additionally, she cited a statement from the conservative Foundation for Defense of Democracy that read, in part, that “the fatal flaw” of the pact is its sunset clauses, which permit “critical nuclear, arms, and ballistic missile restrictions to disappear over a five- to 15-year period.”
Greg Terryn, a research and policy associate with the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington, said Westmoreland “is mistaken.”
“The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the pact) specifically delays the lifting of any sanctions until the IAEA has verified that Iran is living up to its commitments under the agreement,” Terryn said.
In the language of the deal, this is described as Adoption Day — the day Iran must begin working toward its commitments under the agreement, Terryn said. Implementation Day is the day the U.S., United Nations and European Union must waive the implementation of certain sanctions, he said.
“Implementation Day only comes about when the IAEA verifies that Iran has fulfilled its initial obligations under the agreement,” Terryn said.
