This is good to know:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week offered fresh reason why the Iran nuclear deal was never good enough — namely, new proof that Tehran has been cheating on its nuclear promises for years.
Specifically, Bibi revealed the existence of a secret nuke-research site that Iran never revealed, even after it promised to suspend its nuclear program in the 2015 accord.
The photos show major activity at the site in the early 2000s — and then, more recently, the same cluster of buildings reduced to rubble. “This is the site after they understood that we were on to them,” Netanyahu explained.
His effort is being tarred by the usual suspects as just a campaign effort. One, that seems relevant for Israeli voters to know. And two, so what? Is he right or is he wrong on the charge? That's what is relevant for us, no?
The question is did the Iranians destroyed that facility because they ended the line of inquiry or because they moved it elsewhere? The way the 2015 nuclear deal limits where (and how, and when) the IAEA can inspect, I suspect the latter is almost surely the explanation. But at least it is a real question (and you could even ask whether the facility was actually a nuclear facility rather than an obsolete widget factory).
Simply dismissing such a question about Iran's motivations because Netanyahu is in a reelection campaign is ridiculous.
What Netanyahu has done is expose the utter fallacy of the Obama administration's basic view of what an Iran nuclear deal would look like:
Well of course a deal is possible! Duh. All Iran has to do is pretend to end their drive for nuclear weapons and all we have to do is pretend to believe Iran. Simple, no?
I have no doubt that this administration and our Western allies would be willing to pretend to believe an Iranian false promise to halt nuclear weapon work. Let the next governments worry about the future while they bask in the glory of a deal that promises peace for our time.
Actually, I underestimated the level of pretending that would happen. Iran pretended they never had a nuclear program and we pretended that was just fine to believe.
Trump ended the Iran nuclear deal. Good. But Iran, the Europeans, and the Obama alumni are trying to save it. And I don't think Netanyahu could say anything to pierce that shield of pretending that allowed the deal.
And honestly, I worry that Trump will sign a rebranded Iran deal that continues the pretending. Despite the revelations that Iran pretended they didn't have a nuclear weapons program.
Have a super sparkly day.
UPDATE: And given that Iran carried out an act of war with that attack on Saudi oil production, pray tell what will they be willing to do when they have the shield of nuclear weapons that they might believe protects them from any consequences?
