imagesIran begun suspending its enrichment program today in conjunction with an interim deal it struck with six world powers.

With suspension of Iran’s enrichment program the United States and the European Union will begin easing up on sanctions.  Iran stopped its enrichment to a 20% level and disconnected cascades of centrifuges, which are used as a mechanism to enrich uranium.

“From now on, the centrifuges which were used for producing 20% enriched uranium will be used for enriching uranium to the 5% purity level,” said Mohammad Amiri, a director in the Iran’s nuclear agency.

“In reciprocation for Iran’s concrete actions, the United States and its P5+1 partners — the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and China — as well as the European Union will today follow through on our commitment to begin to provide the modest relief agreed to with Iran,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney. “At the same time, we will continue our aggressive enforcement of the sanctions measures that will remain in place throughout this six-month period.”

In the interim, a deal stuck with world powers in November allows for the easing of crippling sanctions which has hampered Iran’s economy.

Currently, there is ambivalence from members of the U.S. Senate in which sixteen Democratic Senators joining Republicans in opposition to the deal. 

Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization and a former foreign minister, said in an interview on state television, the deal with world powers over Iran’s nuclear activities was a victory for the Islamic republic.

Speaking of Western powers, and the United States in particular, Salehi said: “We know that they have power and do not wish us well. They wanted to put pressure on us with sanctions, but we were able to manage the situation well.”

Salehi, who holds a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said Iran does not need to continue the 20 percent sensitive uranium enrichment program to maintain what he said are his country’s peaceful nuclear activities. The deal allows Iran to continue enriching uranium to 5 percent.

“Now the iceberg of sanctions is crumbling while our centrifuges are still also working. This is our greatest achievement,” he said.

There is still a lot of uncertainty with this deal as Iran at any time, can re-start its enrichment program and the easing of sanctions gives the regime what it always had wanted the collapse of the cripple sanctions.

The question is what is set for plan B buy the Obama administration in the event Iran fails to comply with the interim deal, or never intends to make the agreement permanent? 

One still has to be mindful that Iran has invested heavily in keeping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power as he continues to kill thousands of his own people.  Iran continues to financially back Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, not to mention its roll in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Every U.S. president since President Carter has been bamboozled by Iran in one way other another, let’s hope this does not happen again.

A nuclear armed Iran would set off a nuclear arms race in the volatile Middle East region.

 

  

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