Defense21 August 2015

Note from Norm: Inspecting Its Own Cheating

Scuttling the nuclear agreement reached between our President and an Iranian regime that is one of the most radical in the world is not an easy task.

Even when all the evidence points to an agreement that will make Iran stronger, more belligerent and even more capable of causing harm and damage throughout the world with this agreement than without it.

With a Stuart Smalley-like process of affirmation advocates of the Iranian agreement are likely to proclaim “This agreement is good enough, smart enough and doggone It, people Like it!”

That an overwhelming majority of Americans don’t find it good enough or smart enough –or like it – is lost on the President and those who have endorsed its implementation.

Yet, there’s hardly a supporter of this agreement that doesn’t couch their endorsement of its provisions without acknowledging that it is far from perfect.

If only they would also acknowledge that it is far from good.

The most recent bomb to drop on this ill-advised capitulation to tyranny is the revelation that Iran has scored another coup in advancing its efforts to hide its nuclear activity.

The United Nations has a no-longer secret agreement with Iran that allows the country to use Iranian inspectors to investigate a site it has been accused of using to develop a nuclear bomb.

Gone is any pretense of “anytime, anywhere” inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The President and his allies who have trumpeted this agreement as the soundest, surest and most steadfast way to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb are silent on this new revelation.

Nancy Pelosi, who has yet to reach the bottom of her disdain for the intelligence of the American citizen, is reported to have responded to this news by saying, “I truly believe in this agreement.”

Really?

An agreement whose danger to the world is now compounded by the outrage that Iran will use its own inspectors to inspect its own nuclear program to declare that Iran is not making a nuclear bomb to use against us and its other enemies?

It’s like letting inmates inspect their own cell for contraband.

According to news reports from the Associated Press, “The agreement in question diverges from normal procedures by allowing Tehran to employ its own experts and equipment in the search for evidence of activities it has consistently denied — trying to develop nuclear weapons.”

According to the AP, “Olli Heinonen, who was in charge of the Iran probe as deputy IAEA director general from 2005 to 2010, said he could think of no similar concession with any other country.”

This is the same Olli Heinonen, a former deputy director of the International Atomic Energy Agency who has raised serious concerns about the 24 day delay in inspection language that is contained in the President’s agreement with Iran.

Other experts share Heinonen’s concerns that Iran, during the 24 days they are giving international inspectors the Heisman, can pursue activities which will allow them to further their pursuit of a nuclear bomb.

A pursuit that is more likely under an agreement that gives them unprecedented and unrestricted access to new sources of revenue to make cheating on this agreement easier.

David Albright, President of the Institute for Science and International Security and a former weapons inspector in Iraq of Iran and the agreement says “They are practiced at cheating. You can’t count on them to make a mistake.”

They are so good at not making mistakes that they convinced the United Nations that they should be able to inspect their own nuclear sites and certify them as not being used to build a nuclear bomb.

If Iran cheats, will we know because an international inspector found traces of illicit nuclear activity?

Or if they cheat will we know because Iran’s inspectors will put their hands up and say, “Aww, you caught us red handed. Sorry, we cheated!”

Under no circumstances, the President assured us, would he agree to anything that did not include international inspections at a time and place of the choosing of the international community.

The phrase “Iranian Inspectors” doesn’t even rhyme with “International Inspectors.”

With Iran, once again, in the driver’s seat when it comes to the inspection of its nuclear facilities, Congress cannot emulate Nancy Pelosi’s deliberate naiveté in ignoring the news that Iran will police its own nuclear weapons program.

Even supporters of this agreement have admitted that we cannot trust Iran and that Iran has violated multiple agreements that have led to that distrust and that we cannot assume they won’t violate this current agreement.

Given this concern, how will they justify allowing Iran to inspect its own nuclear facilities?  

And, if we don’t trust them to inspect their own nuclear facilities, why should we trust them to live up to this agreement at all?