One of the Biden administration campaign's promises was to curb Iran's nuclear program. In the two and a half years since the Biden administration assumed office, however, Iran's ruling mullahs have been rapidly and defiantly advancing their nuclear weapons program to levels never before seen. Apparently, after a short nap, a make-believe, monumentally unenforceable, nuclear deal with Iran is back in play. According to the website Iran International:
"Amir-Abdollahian told Ettelaat that presently 'The Sultan of Oman has put forth an initiative and we held indirect talks with the Americans...Now we have two documents on the table; one is about the release of Iran's [frozen] funds,' but he did not elaborate on the second document. He went on to say that the JCPOA is not off the table, although it was perhaps 'not a great agreement.'
"Various media sources have reported that Tehran and Washington are discussing an unofficial deal, whereby Iran would limit its uranium enrichment and Washington would agree to the release of all funds frozen in several countries totalling around $20 billion."
Since the Biden administration took office in 2021, the Iran's leaders seem to have enjoyed a green light to freely advance their nuclear program, enrich uranium to any level they wish, spin as many centrifuges as they like, and march towards becoming a nuclear-armed state – with no negative consequences.
After the Biden administration took office, Iran's regime began by increasing uranium enrichment to 20%. Possibly thanks to seeing the Biden administration's pathetic leadership after its surrender in August of 2021 to Afghanistan, Iran's parliament, in September, blocked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear inspectors from accessing Iran's nuclear sites.
A report by the Institute for Science and International Security detailed:
"Since June 2022, the IAEA has had no ability to monitor Iran's centrifuge manufacturing or assembly rate, old or new centrifuge stocks, stocks of critical parts and material, or potential diversion of such stocks or manufacturing capabilities to unknown sites. The IAEA has reiterated its concerns about the completeness of the information it has from Iran and its ability to accurately verify Iran's declared centrifuges. With Iran accelerating its advanced centrifuge deployments, uncertainties will likely grow in the estimated number of advanced centrifuges produced in excess of those deployed, adding concern to the possibility that Iran will again seek to build a clandestine enrichment plant, using advanced centrifuges manufactured in secret."
In February this year, Iran raised its uranium enrichment level to 60%, edging closer to the weapons-grade level of 90%. Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, Speaker of Iran's parliament, boasted: "The young and God-believing Iranian scientists managed to achieve a 60 percent enriched uranium product. I congratulate the brave nation on this success."
The United Kingdom, France and Germany commented in a joint statement:
"Iran has no credible civilian need for uranium metal R&D and production, which are a key step in the development of a nuclear weapon."
Additionally in February, a UN report found that weapons-grade uranium in Iran was enriched to 90% – the level needed for weaponization. Kamal Kharrazi, Iran's former foreign minister, pointed to Iran's major advances:
"It's no secret that we have become a quasi-nuclear state. This is a fact. And it's no secret that we have the technical means to produce a nuclear bomb... In the past, and within just a few days, we were able to enrich uranium up to 60%, and we can easily produce 90% enriched uranium."
The regime is now finally at the threshold of making all the nuclear weapons it desires, along with missiles to launch them at their enemies in the Middle East, Europe and America.
The Iranian authorities continue to claim that their nuclear program is designed for peaceful purposes only. If that were true, why is the regime continuing to enrich uranium and refusing to cooperate with the IAEA?
Some Iranian leaders have openly acknowledged that the regime's nuclear program was always designed to manufacture atomic weapons. Former deputy speaker of the Iranian parliament Ali Motahari disclosed:
"From the very beginning, when we entered the nuclear activity, our goal was to build a bomb and strengthen the deterrent forces but we could not maintain the secrecy of this issue."
At present, Iran reportedly has enough enriched uranium to produce five nuclear bombs. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said during an official visit to Athens, Greece on May 4, 2023:
"Make no mistake — Iran will not be satisfied by a single nuclear bomb. So far, Iran has gained material enriched to 20% and 60% for five nuclear bombs... Iranian progress, and enrichment to 90%, would be a grave mistake on Iran's part, and could ignite the region."
The Biden administration has totally failed to curb Iran's nuclear program – but then again evidence shows it had never intended to. The "sunset clause" in then President Barack Obama's 2015 JCPOA "nuclear deal" assured Iran's rulers that in a few years, they could legitimately have as many nuclear weapons as they desired. Obama's assurance that his deal "prevented Iran from having nuclear weapons" is at the same level of trustworthiness as his, "If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor," or President Joe Biden's, "nobody earning less than $400,000 a year will pay an additional penny in new taxes."
Biden's legacy -- along with surrendering to the Taliban in Afghanistan and possibly "sell[ing] out" America to the Chinese Communist Party at home (such as here, here , here, here and here) -- might well be turn out to be paying off Iran, called by the US State Department the world's "top state sponsor of terrorism," with billions of dollars, to help it become nuclear-armed state, so long as the mullahs promise -- Scouts' honor! -- not to use their nuclear weapons on his watch.
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
