Obama softens on nuclear Iran: Keep components, just promise not to weaponise them
Obama softens on nuclear Iran: Keep components, just promise not to weaponise them.
The moderate mien of Iran’s new president Hassan Rouhani has had its intended effect – even before nuclear dialogue began. President Barack Obama had only one demand of Tehran: “Iran would have to demonstrate its own seriousness by agreement not to weaponise nuclear power,” he said Wednesday, Sept. 18. He thus took at his word Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who declared the day before: “We are against nuclear weapons. And when we say no one should have nuclear weapons, we definitely do not pursue it ourselves either.”
The symmetry between the words from Washington and Tehran was perfect in content and timing – and not by chance.
debkafile’s Washington and Iranian sources disclose that it was choreographed in advance.
Obama and Khamenei have been exchanging secret messages through Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman, who visited Tehran in the last week of August and conferred with both Khameini and Rouhani.
In the last message, carried to Tehran by Oman’s Defense Minister Sayyid Badr bin Said Al Busaidiat, the US president said that Rouhani’s conciliatory gestures towards Washington needed to be backed up by an explicit pledge not to weaponise Iran’s nuclear program.
That pledge must come from the supreme leader in person and delivered publicly to Iran’s most hawkish audience, Revolutionary Guards chiefs.
And indeed, Khamenei acted out his part Tuesday under TV cameras.
Full details of the exchanges going back and both between Washington and Tehran will appear in the coming DEBKA Weekly 603 out Friday, Sept. 20.
They will confirm that the US president has come to terms with a nuclear-capable Iran and will be satisfied with Ayatollah Khamenei’s word that Tehran will not take the last step to actually assemble a bomb.
Our sources note that in his direct secret dialogue with Tehran, Obama is pursuing the same tactics he used for the Syrian chemical issue with Russian President Vladmir Putin: Moving fast forward on the secret track while pretending that the process is still at an early stage and then a sudden leap to target – a particular form of diplomacy consisting of verbal calisthenics.
This pretense was played out at the G20, when the two presidents acted as though they were irreconcilably divided on the Syrian question, while secretly tying up the ends of the chemical accord.
Obama’s willingness to accept Khamenei’s oft-repeated assurance that his country’s nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes – while letting its military program advance to the brink – leaves Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu lagging far behind and his Iranian policy with nowhere to go.
At the Israeli cabinet meeting Tuesday, the prime minister said his White House talks with President Obama on Sept. 30 would focus on Iran and his four demands:
1) Complete halt of uranium enrichment; 2) Removal of enriched materials from Iran; 3) Closure of the Fordo enrichment plant; 4) Termination of plutonium production at Arak.
Notwithstanding the briefing offered by Secretary of State John Kerry when he visited Jerusalem on Sunday, Sept. 15, it looks as though Obama is keeping the Israeli prime minister in the dark on his moves towards Iran.
WarSclerotic 
September 18, 2013 at 11:23 AM
LOL! Obama is a freaking coward and overall idiot!
September 18, 2013 at 11:59 AM
Here we go as expected weeks ago.
September 18, 2013 at 1:18 PM
If Iran will reach atomic weapons and terrorists attacks with nuclear devices will take place on the US soil, then Obama will be considered, from the America point of view, a traitor.
September 18, 2013 at 2:56 PM
Many already do. 😎
September 18, 2013 at 2:15 PM
Of course no self-respecting Arab will believe Tehran for they know what American appeasement looks and smells like. Every Sunni state will now gather their own nuclear forces hoping that the doctrine of mutually assured destruction will hold. The world becomes a much more dangerous place.
However, the great Obama will use his oratorical skills in every speech convincing the people that he alone has brought an end of the Iran problem and the American incursions abroad. They will throw flowers in his path. Most of those throwing flowers will probably not survive the destruction to come.
As a youth Obama was mentored by communists who taught him that capitalists and America were warmongering imperialists. He spent his entire life looking down his nose at “warmongers”. Obama will do anything, appease anyone to avoid having a second term presidential legacy as a wartime president.
I wrote this before and stated that he would never attack Syria or Iran. Obama only cares about himself, his legacy and destroying his Republican Party opposition. Syria will still have its chemical weapons, Iran will have its nuclear weapons just waiting for the ICBMs that will starting arriving in 2015. The long term problem will be another President’s problem. The American people are slowly catching on the President will be detested for Americans hate appeasement.
September 18, 2013 at 2:32 PM
Heavy words; it hurts even read them, because its a painful truth Norman is writing here about.
September 18, 2013 at 3:03 PM
So true Norm, and we still have 1219 days left. With the increasing rate of crises occurring with Obama in office, it’s hard to imagine the shape we and the rest of the world will look like when he finally leaves office.
September 18, 2013 at 3:25 PM
just when it had to double the pressure…
September 18, 2013 at 3:54 PM
Hag Sameach to all.
As we enter the Succah it’s THE time to remember
that the Guardian of Israel does not sleep nor slumber,
neither does He flinch nor blink.
Just like He surrounded us with clouds of glory in the wilderness;
and as Rashi points out, those clouds were on every side, above and even below, under our feet, and they also gave off light to see by, and absorbed the arrows which were shot and boulders which were catapulted by the Egyptians;
so too, today, The Ribono Shel Olam still has an infinite number of tricks up His sleeve, and God willing we’re going to see them going down in real time, foiling and exhausting the efforts of all those who may wish to do us harm.
September 18, 2013 at 4:31 PM
September 18, 2013 at 4:41 PM
The deal is taking shape, Syria and Iran will both promise to play nice and re-enter the world community. Syria will give up some and hide some of its CW. Iran will come close but for now not cross the red line. American and Russia will promise to hold both Iran and Syria’s feet to the fire to make sure they comply. And Israel will use the old Ronald Reagan line of “trust but verify” and insist some strong verifiable system be put in place to ensure Iran and Syria don’t cheat. After that, Israel can keep on as fortress Israel as it’s been doing for years. This castles is built of and on sand and could easily collapse in the slightest squall, but it’s the best deal Israel will get from the international community. The pressure will then redouble on Israel to give itself away to the Palestinians now that “Israel’s security has been ensured”.
September 18, 2013 at 5:01 PM
Joop, You were absolutely correct when you said “Netanyahu watch your back”. Bet Netanyahu wished he did something about Iran years ago, for now the State of Israel will forever have the sword of Damocles over hanging its head.
September 18, 2013 at 5:13 PM
Good assessment JP. I wonder, however, if Israel is as willing to accept the status quo. If not, that could be a real game changer to say the least. 😕
September 18, 2013 at 5:35 PM
Thanks Steve, I’m afraid they’ll have no choice. If the world has convinced itself it made “peace in our time” and Israel goes and mucks it by attacking Iran, Israel WILL becomes the worlds Pariah!
Checkmate!
He who hesitates gets fucked!!
September 18, 2013 at 4:45 PM
September 19, 2013 at 10:39 PM
This will give Obama a way out because he has declared that Iran will not get the bomb on his watch. Of course not, the components won’t be assembled so there won’t be a bomb. More weasel words from Obama.