Inevitably, regardless of your interest or engagement with current national news, the words “Iran nuclear deal” have undoubtedly floated by your periphery at some point or another. So—what is the deal with this deal? Why has it been proposed? What are its pros and cons? And why do so many Facebook statuses lately consist of lengthy diatribes either condemning the supporters or opponents of this deal?
The gist of the situation is that Iran, described by many as the leading state sponsor of terrorism, is coming close to acquiring nuclear weapons. The rest of the world would prefer that this not occur. After months of negotiation, Iran and six other world powers—the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia and Germany along with the European Union came to an agreement on July 14, 2015 aimed to curb Iran’s nuclear program.
However, while this plan does place limits on many of Iran’s nuclear programs, it does not entirely dismantle any of them, which is what many critics of the deal have pointed out. If Iran honors this deal, it would not have the kind of material it needs for a nuclear bomb, but it would be able to continue its non-military nuclear program, and the UN’s sanctions placed on Iran will be lifted. Critics of this plan, one of the strongest being Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have pointed out that the sanctions being lifted will reward Iran with hundreds of billions of dollars, which will only fuel its terrorism worldwide. Israel particularly is of the conviction that Iran is patient when it comes to building nuclear weapons.
President Obama, one of the strongest advocates of this plan, has repeatedly stated that firstly, this plan was the only possibility that Iran would agree to; and secondly, that while it is true that none of the nuclear programs are going to be entirely dismantled, this deal extends the time it would take Iran to make enough highly enriched material for a nuclear bomb.
Over this past month, members of Congress have been discussing the ins and outs of this negotiation, reading the fine print and deciding how it would vote this coming September. At this point, most members of Congress disapprove of the plan after considering the details. Right now the September vote is expected to be somewhat of a standoff between Congress and President Obama.
Earlier this month, advocates of the deal suffered a setback when powerful members of Congress came out in opposition. Both the House and the Senate are controlled by Republicans this term, who are largely against this deal; additionally, several Democrats have come out in opposition as well.
Even if Congress votes no to the deal, President Obama would be able to veto its decision and the plan would have a higher change of being approved. It is beginning to appear that the Israelis and Republicans have concluded they are fighting a lost cause.
It is difficult to say what will be with the nuclear arrangement; however, deal or no deal, the situation with Iran will not be perfect, and the Jewish homeland will remain in its precarious position. It is our job as young members of the Jewish American community to become informed and passionate participants in this ongoing discussion.