By John W. Lillpop
While Barack Obama and his colleagues in Congress wrestle with the devastating failure of Obamacare, the Islamic Republic of Iran has unilaterally suspended all programs which might provide the terrorist state with a nuclear bomb.
Iranian Mullahs have taken this extraordinary step as a good-will gesture to promote their “Religion of Peace” credentials in the blossoming relationship between President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Great news, right?
One would have to believe such outrageous nonsense to believe that the Obama administration is pursuing a reasonable path toward keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of the mad Mullahs.
Unfortunately, the exact opposite is true as some experts now estimate that Iran may be within a month of producing enough weapons-grade enriched uranium to build a bomb.
Even more distressing, at Iran marches toward nuclear weaponry, the Obama administration appears to be working aggressively to thwart efforts within Congress to strengthen sanctions against Iran.
As reported at the reference:
Iran could produce enough weapons-grade uranium to build a nuclear bomb in as little as a month, according to a new estimate by one of the USA's top nuclear experts.
The new assessment comes as the White House invited Senate staffers to a briefing on negotiations with Iran as it is trying to persuade Congress not to go ahead with a bill to stiffen sanctions against Iran.
"Shortening breakout times have implications for any negotiation with Iran," stated the report by the Institute for Science and International Security. "An essential finding is that they are currently too short and shortening further."
Iran's stockpile of highly-enriched uranium has nearly doubled in a year's time and its number of centrifuges has expanded from 12,000 in 2012 to 19,000 today.
Sen. Mark Kirk, an Illinois Republican whose Senate Banking Committee is considering legislation to tighten Iran sanctions, said the report shows that Iran is expanding its nuclear capabilities under the cover of negotiations.
"The Senate should move forward immediately with a new round of sanctions to prevent Iran from acquiring an undetectable breakout capability," he said.
The White House has said new sanctions legislation should wait while current negotiations — scheduled to resume officially in Geneva next month — are moving forward.
The White House said Thursday it will continue consulting with Congress "so that any congressional action is aligned with our negotiating strategy as we move forward," said Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for President Obama's National Security Council.
World powers are seeking an agreement "that ultimately resolves all of the international community's concerns about Iran's nuclear program," she said. "The ultimate goal is a comprehensive agreement that is credible, transparent, and verifiable."
However, Iran has blocked international inspectors from some suspected nuclear facilities to verify they are being used for peaceful purposes, access required under international agreements it has signed.
United Nations inspectors have found evidence of a weapons program in violation of Iran's commitment under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The USA and the U.N. Security Council have implemented crippling economic sanctions on Iran to sway it to take steps to assure the world it is not developing a bomb.”
Will a Nuclear Iran become the “signature” failure of Barack Obama in foreign policy, just as Obamacare has blighted the domestic legacy of our failed Community Organizer?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/10/24/iran-bomb-one-month-away/3181373/
