It has been over a year since the US and other nations signed a deal with Iran regarding the Iranian nuclear program. We've been told that Iran has stopped its quest for nuclear weapons in accordance with the agreement. Of course, no one actually knows if that is true or not. Remember, in the 1990s, Bill Clinton signed a deal with North Korea under which the USA gave aid to the NKs and they abandoned their nuclear program. Except they didn't. North Korea continued its development of nuclear weapons in secret and also got billions from the American tax payer. In short, the Clinton deal gave the North Koreans the funding they needed to go forward with their nuclear weapons program. The same thing may be happening now with the Iranians. We have no way of knowing.
In the last month, however, certain things have become public which are no longer open to question.
1. We now know that the USA made enormous secret cash payments to the Iranians in exchange for the release of American hostages held by the mullahs. This violated long standing American policy of not paying ransom for the release of hostages.
2. We know that Iran has continued the development of long range ballistic missiles. Iran has tested missile that could reach much of the world. Interestingly enough, the principal foreign help that the Iranians have gotten with their missiles has come from North Korea. This missile program is a direct violation of not only the Iranian nuclear deal but also the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
3. The Obama administration now admits that after the signing of the nuclear deal, Iran became much more aggressive in confronting the USA and American interests. Obama had argued that the agreement would make Iran more reasonable, but the opposite has proven true.
4. The Iranians have continued their effort to take over Iraq and to control the outcome of the Syrian Civil War. The Iranians are more strident than before the nuclear deal (if such a thing is possible.)
5. Iranian naval vessels have harassed American ships (as well as those of other countries) in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz. This is a direct threat to the world petroleum trade.
A shorter way to summarize what has happened in the last few months is to say that the results of the Iranian nuclear deal have proven to be a disaster for the USA>
In view of all this, how can Hillary Clinton continue to support the Iran deal? Hillary has backed away from many parts of the Obama foreign policy that she used to support. The Trans Pacific trade deal went from being the "gold standard" for trade deals to being unacceptable as written. There have been so many flip flops from Hillary that some have wondered if she got advice on how to handle tough problems from John (I was for the bill before I was against it) Kerry. Hillary, however, has never backed away from the Iran deal. She supported it as Secretary of State. She supported it as a candidate. It's too late to change that view now. But how can she continue to support the deal after all we have learned about it?
In the last month, however, certain things have become public which are no longer open to question.
1. We now know that the USA made enormous secret cash payments to the Iranians in exchange for the release of American hostages held by the mullahs. This violated long standing American policy of not paying ransom for the release of hostages.
2. We know that Iran has continued the development of long range ballistic missiles. Iran has tested missile that could reach much of the world. Interestingly enough, the principal foreign help that the Iranians have gotten with their missiles has come from North Korea. This missile program is a direct violation of not only the Iranian nuclear deal but also the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
3. The Obama administration now admits that after the signing of the nuclear deal, Iran became much more aggressive in confronting the USA and American interests. Obama had argued that the agreement would make Iran more reasonable, but the opposite has proven true.
4. The Iranians have continued their effort to take over Iraq and to control the outcome of the Syrian Civil War. The Iranians are more strident than before the nuclear deal (if such a thing is possible.)
5. Iranian naval vessels have harassed American ships (as well as those of other countries) in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz. This is a direct threat to the world petroleum trade.
A shorter way to summarize what has happened in the last few months is to say that the results of the Iranian nuclear deal have proven to be a disaster for the USA>
In view of all this, how can Hillary Clinton continue to support the Iran deal? Hillary has backed away from many parts of the Obama foreign policy that she used to support. The Trans Pacific trade deal went from being the "gold standard" for trade deals to being unacceptable as written. There have been so many flip flops from Hillary that some have wondered if she got advice on how to handle tough problems from John (I was for the bill before I was against it) Kerry. Hillary, however, has never backed away from the Iran deal. She supported it as Secretary of State. She supported it as a candidate. It's too late to change that view now. But how can she continue to support the deal after all we have learned about it?
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