"Trump may have given Iran everything it wanted on paper—but the real question is whether Tehran fell for a deal that gives America the leverage to walk away."
Ken Timmerman › American Greatness
. . . "They can point to all the goodies they believe they are entitled to in the 14-point MoU, but until Trump declares that they have fulfilled their commitments, they won’t be getting them. Not a one." . . .
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| Or until Democrats take over the House. |
"To evaluate the Iran Memorandum of Understanding on its merits, beyond the hype, let’s start by separating what we know from what we don’t.
"Iran’s military has been destroyed. It has no air force, no navy, and no air defenses.
"We have obliterated Iran’s uranium enrichment plants, its uranium mills, and its uranium hexafluoride conversion facility, as well as the secret bomb-making workshops in Parchin that Iran would never allow the IAEA to inspect.
"We have destroyed most of Iran’s ability to manufacture drones and ballistic missiles.
"We have shattered the Iranian economy.
"We have pitted the regime against itself, as seen in recent demonstrations organized by hard-liners against the MoU.
"We have also demonstrated that America has a new “special relationship”—with Israel, not Britain. We have gone to war with the IDF, flying thousands of joint air missions without a single mishap, something we could arguably not do today with our NATO allies.
"These are facts, and they are major accomplishments of a military campaign that no previous American president has been willing to attempt.
"But we did not defeat the Iranian regime. That, too, is a fact—one the regime reminds the U.S. of every day.
"Not only do they appear to be undeterred, but they enjoy taunting us, threatening to “bloody” our noses, and deliver a “harsh blow” should we not keep up our commitments under the MoU.
"But just what are the U.S. commitments?
"The 14-point MoU reads like a wish list crafted in Tehran. And I suspect that is exactly what it is. (More on that below).
"Over the past several weeks, I have watched with disbelief as pro-regime media in Tehran released this or that version of the accord, including what appeared to be U.S. commitments to establish a $300 billion reconstruction fund and to withdraw all U.S. military forces from the region.
"Astonishingly, those measures do indeed figure in the 14-point MoU. Paragraph 6 says that the United States “undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least USD 300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” . . . More...
Trump made a big deal out of signing the MOU publicly. Cameras, people standing around, a worldwide press event of the signing. But Trump knew, and still knows full well, that the Iranians have no intention of adhering to the memo or to any future deal. They will cheat. And when they do, Trump will be able to say, “The U.S. signed the MOU in good faith. The Iranians signed it, too. Now, world, you can see clearly that Iran alone on the world stage cannot be trusted to adhere to any agreement.” (China and Russia are another story for another time.)
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