We were assured, repeatedly, that if Iran would break the terms of the nuclear deal that the sanctions regime would automatically "snap-back."
Here's how the New York Times described it:
The so-called snapback mechanism to renew United Nations sanctions is one of the most unusual parts of the deal. In the event that Iran is perceived as violating it, the agreement allows the full raft of penalties to resume automatically, without a vote on the Council that would risk a veto by one of its permanent members — namely, Russia, Iran’s closest ally on the Council.
Instead, the snapback mechanism allows any of the six world powers that negotiated the deal to flag what it considers a violation. They would submit their concerns to a dispute resolution panel. If those concerns remained unresolved, the sanctions would automatically resume after 30 days, or “snap back.” According to the draft Security Council resolution, this means that the previous penalties “shall apply in the same manner as they applied before.”
Here's our chance!
From Bild (translated):
After the nuclear agreement with Iran on July 14, 2015 was signed, the federal government and the remaining contractors embraced the slogan: The threat of Iranian nuclear bomb is banned. Iran had agreed to the inspection of its nuclear facilities and will not pursue any further plans to weaponize radioactive materials.The report says that they expect that Iran will continue with its clandestine efforts to acquire nuclear technology that is not allowed under the terms of the JCPOA.
Experts have always been skeptical about the agreement with Tehran for its many loopholes and its sanctions waivers meant a windfall for the mullahs' regime and its activities in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. However, the Federal Government and especially the Federal Ministry of Economics felt that the prospect of business with Tehran was too tempting.
But now the [German] Secret Service warns in its annual report in no uncertain terms: The attempts of Tehran to illegally obtain nuclear weapons technology in Germany has increased.
Thus, the report states dryly: " The BfV established that illicit Iranian procurement attempts in Germany in 2015 remained at a quantitatively high level. This was especially true for goods that can be used in the field of nuclear technology."
There are controversial sentences that can be found on page 265 of the Constitutional Protection Report: Obviously Tehran tried to acquire materials beyond what is needed for civilian nuclear technology.
The mullahs apparently are continuing to work on nuclear weapons and related missile technology.
Literally the report says: " The BfV stated also in the field of ambitious Iranian missile technology program, which could be used inter aliaffor the use of nuclear weapons, a rising trend in the already substantial procurement efforts."
So will Germany implement the snap-back mechanism? Will the White House do it upon seeing this report?
You know the answer. The six countries who can trigger the "snap-back" have every incentive not to. Both the economic benefits of selling to Tehran and the embarrassment of having to scrap the agreement and incur the wrath of the other nations who want the billions of dollars of trade with Iran ensure that no one will ever have the guts to trigger the mechanism.
The Iran agreement was, and remains, a massive exercise in deception.
(h/t Petra)
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