Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Of Course There Will Be a Deal

Will there be a deal with Iran on their nuclear programs?

Ignatius thinks there will be:

The mechanics of an eventual settlement are clear enough after Saturday’s first session in Istanbul: Iran would agree to stop enriching uranium to the 20 percent level and to halt work at an underground facility near Qom built for higher enrichment. Iran would export its stockpile of highly enriched uranium for final processing to 20 percent, for use in medical isotopes.

Let me just say that if Iran agrees to this deal, then enrichment to the 20% level isn't the most immediate need of Iran's nuclear program. If Iran can buy time by delaying something that they don't need to make progress on right now, they might make the deal.

For the Obama administration, in the vast firmament of President Obama's "space" program of promising thugs good deals if they'll simply behave through the fall election, Iran is surely the brightest star that could go super nova and confront the president with the need to do something to defend our national interests before the election. God forbid he'd have to do that.

So yes, President Obama will try to get a deal. The only question is whether Iran believes they need to do President Obama a favor or whether their contempt for us is so deep that they don't even think they need to buy time from this president.

UPDATE: Remember, the only deal possible with Iran is one in which the Iranians pretend to halt their nuclear weapons program and we pretend to believe them--to the end of the year, anyway.