Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




NUKEWARS
Obama rebuffs critics of Iran nuclear pact
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) July 18, 2015


Kerry says Iran won't be able to cheat on nuclear deal
Washington (AFP) July 17, 2015 - US Secretary of State John Kerry Friday fought back against criticism of a hard-won nuclear deal with Iran, insisting UN inspectors will have plenty of time to detect any Iranian bid to cheat.

Under the terms of the deal struck Tuesday in Vienna after almost two years of negotiations, Iran has agreed to give the UN nuclear watchdog access to suspect sites, including military bases, as the world seeks to stop the Islamic republic developing atomic arms.

When the deal is implemented, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will notify Iran of a site they want to visit and Tehran has 14 days to comply.

If it refuses then there is a further 10-day delay to allow a joint commission to examine the case and order Iran to satisfy the IAEA's concerns.

The 24-day period has come under fire from critics of the deal who say it will give Iran time to hide any incriminating evidence that it is covertly seeking nuclear weapons.

"Traces of uranium, traces of any kind, fissile material are traceable and are very, very hard to get rid of," Kerry insisted on MSNBC, giving the example of how the Iranians have denied access to its military site of Parchin, just outside Tehran

Iran has for years rejected IAEA requests to visit the site and denies ever having worked on developing a nuclear weapon, saying Parchin is a non-nuclear facility.

"Iran has been deathly afraid of the IAEA having access to Parchin years later," Kerry said.

"If they are afraid of us having entry because we might find something years later, I can assure you our intelligence community is completely comfortable that 24 days is not enough time for them to be able to evade our technical means, our capacity to observe," Kerry said.

He also stressed that the 24-day timeframe was a maximum period, and Iran which is seeking relief from crippling sanctions, had "every reason to do it faster, because the longer it takes and the more they drag, the more suspicion there will be."

The top US diplomat, who spent 18 days in Vienna negotiating the final phase of the deal with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, insisted it would give the outside world the most "intrusive inspections regime" ever.

Even though the deal sets a 10-year timeframe for the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions against Iran, Kerry said UN tracking of Iranian centrifuge production -- technology used in making enriched uranium -- would last for 20 years, and tracking of its uranium mining would last for 25 years.

"We have unprecedented ability to see what they are doing. And our intelligence community tells us that for them to have a covert path, they would have to have an entire fuel cycle that is covert, and it's impossible to do so with the regime that we've put together."

Kerry and the Obama administration has gone on a blitz to sell the Iran deal, with the secretary of state to face a grilling from a skeptical Senate next week.

US President Barack Obama rebuffed critics of the Iran nuclear agreement Saturday, defending the historic accord amid skepticism from lawmakers reviewing the deal.

In his weekly address, Obama said that without the accord, "we'd risk another war in the most volatile region in the world," underlining the limits now placed on Iran's nuclear program.

"This deal actually pushes Iran further away from a bomb. And there's a permanent prohibition on Iran ever having a nuclear weapon," Obama said.

"We will have unprecedented, 24/7 monitoring of Iran's key nuclear facilities."

He said repercussions would be swift if Iran did not stick to the agreement.

"If Iran violates this deal, the sanctions we imposed that have helped cripple the Iranian economy -- the sanctions that helped make this deal possible -- would snap back into place promptly."

The agreement, signed Tuesday after two years of talks, aims to roll back Tehran's nuclear program in return for lifting sanctions that have stunted Iran's economy.

Under the deal, Iran will cut by about two-thirds the number of centrifuges -- which can make fuel for nuclear power stations but also the core of a nuclear bomb -- from around 19,000 to just over 6,000.

The US Congress has 60 days to review the agreement, and can vote to approve or reject it.

Obama's Republican rivals, who hope to scupper the agreement in a planned Congressional vote, have accused him of appeasement.

Obama said he was not scared of naysayers, and welcomed questions on the deal.

"I welcome all scrutiny. I fear no questions. As Commander-in-Chief, I make no apology for keeping this country safe and secure," he said.

"Does this deal resolve all of the threats Iran poses to its neighbors and the world? No. Does it do more than anyone has done before to make sure Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon? Yes."

Under legislation passed in May, President Barack Obama is barred from lifting congressional sanctions on Iran during the review period, unless Congress approves the deal during that time.

Should Congress pass a resolution of disapproval, Obama would veto that resolution. Two-thirds of lawmakers would be needed to override a presidential veto.

Obama will address the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars next week, where he will continue his defense of the deal, which he said met the red lines set out by Washington.

"We refused to accept a bad deal. We held out for a deal that met every one of our bottom lines. And we got it."

Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday that the nuclear deal "won't change" the country's stance toward the "arrogant" United States government.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News





NUKEWARS
German Vice Chancellor Gabriel to visit Iran from Sunday
Berlin (AFP) July 15, 2015
German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel will lead a business delegation to Iran from Sunday, his ministry said a day after world powers and Tehran reached a historic nuclear deal. Gabriel, who is also economy and energy minister, "will travel to Iran from July 19 to 21 with a small delegation of industry and science representatives," a ministry spokeswoman said in a statement to AFP. Bilat ... read more


NUKEWARS
Russia to Land Space Vessel on Moon's Polar Region in 2019

Moon engulfed in permanent, lopsided dust cloud

Crashing comets may explain mysterious lunar swirls

Google Lunar X-Prize meets Yoda

NUKEWARS
Opportunity Rover's 7th Mars Winter to Include New Study Area

Opportunity Gets Back to Work

NASA wants to send microbes to Mars to prepare for human habitation

Could This Become the First Mars Airplane

NUKEWARS
NASA selects leading-edge concepts for continued study

US selects four astronauts for commercial flight

Docking Adapter Sets Stage for Commercial Crew Crew

Targeted LEDs could provide efficient lighting for plants grown in space

NUKEWARS
Chinese earth station is for exclusively scientific and civilian purposes

Cooperation in satellite technology put Belgium, China to forefront

China set to bolster space, polar security

China's super "eye" to speed up space rendezvous

NUKEWARS
'Jedi' astronauts say 'no fear' as they gear for ISS trip

Relief as Russian cargo ship docks at space station

Loss of SpaceX Cargo Resupply Mission No Threat to ISS Crew Security

Russia launches Soyuz Progress with supplies for ISS

NUKEWARS
30 launches planned in next three fiscals: ISRO chief

Baikonur Cosmodrome to Be Equipped With Viewing Platforms

India to launch its heaviest commercial mission to date

Final payload integration begins for next Ariane 5 launch

NUKEWARS
Bricks to build an Earth found in every planetary system

Observing the birth of a planet

Precise ages of largest number of stars hosting planets ever measured

Can Planets Be Rejuvenated Around Dead Stars?

NUKEWARS
Engineers give invisibility cloaks a slimmer design

NATO orders deployable 3D air defense radars

'White graphene' structures can take the heat

For faster, larger graphene add a liquid layer




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.