What to Watch in the Emerging U.S.-Iran Deal, and What Still Needs Clarification

The agreement between Iran and the United States has not yet been signed, but in Israel the prevailing view on Sunday is that it is a bad deal, similar in tone to the one associated with former President Barack Obama. Even so, the details released so far suggest a few positive points, although the final memorandum of understanding has not been published yet.

The main advantage is the lifting of sanctions, but unlike the Obama-era deal, the relief this time would come in stages and would depend on Iran fulfilling the agreement’s terms. Other significant elements include Iran’s reported commitment to freeze enrichment for at least 15 years, and to dilute fissile material, enriched uranium at the 60% level, on Iranian soil, with the work carried out by the United States and the IAEA.

The unresolved issue in the framework deal is the monitoring mechanism, specifically who will ensure that Iran is not enriching uranium, and that if it does enrich, it will be only for civilian purposes and only to levels defined in the agreement. Another problem is the conflicting versions, as Iran is presenting a completely different account from the American one regarding the nuclear clauses.

The article also says that such a deal did not justify going to war, which, for now, has only strengthened the Islamic Republic’s regime. It adds that the same result could have been reached long before Israel and the United States launched the war with Iran on February 28.