Since 1979, a cabal of nations has aided and abetted Iran in its efforts to develop a robust nuclear program under the guise of generating a nuclear energy system. This cabal is mainly comprised of Russia, China and North Korea. Since sanctions began being placed on Iran in 1979, with more added since, Iran still had enough free reign to develop its capabilities despite the sanctions regime because of this cabal. All the moving parts are in place, the material is there, and this means they are already nuclear — “breakout” is imminent now.
During this period, North Korea had evaded sanctions, and like Iran, lied, cheated and broke virtually every agreement it ever signed with the United Nations. Now North Korea is a nuclear weapons power, and we believe Iran has already achieved the same end. Each had created hidden facilities, but only North Korea has actually tested weapons fully. Because Iran has to date only detonated trigger devices that does not mean the mullahs do not have weapons capability now — they certainly have enough material.
The coalition of Russia, China and North Korea have assisted Iran in achieving a nuclear-capable weapon. Since the 1979 sanctions have been in place, Iran has had free reign to develop their nuclear weapons program unabated. This weapons program was under the guise of a nuclear energy program for domestic energy production. China and North Korea during this same time frame developed their nuclear programs, maturing them to include land-based and sea-launch weapons systems, testing their entire launch, delivery and detonation process through actual nuclear detonations.
Both Iran and North Korea are also fast approaching intercontinental missile capability, and Iranian government observers, research scientists and senior military officials have been on-site in North Korea for the testing of its systems. In essence, Iran has had the benefit of North Korea essentially do its development and testing.
Iran has tested its launch systems like the Shahab series of launch-and-delivery vehicles and the attendant guidance and control systems, and certainly had fine mentors along the way. The cabal has assisted Iran along all the pathways for acquisition of a nuclear weapon — from system requirements, specifications, prototyping, development and acquisition. Iran has never had to go it alone.
It is now clear that since 2009, the Obama administration has crafted a plan that guarantees Iran will have a nuclear weapon, and the devil is in the details. Among the details are side agreements between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency. We have learned that one of those arrangements calls for Iran to actually be its own inspecting body.
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Now that the agreement has become a settled international agreement where the United States would be going it alone if Congress somehow negates our involvement in it, the world will release of up to $150 billion in Iranian assets. This will all but guarantee funding for its nuclear weapons program and terrorist proxies, Hezbollah, Hamas and others, including Bashar Assad of Syria.
What better way to wipe Israel off the face of the earth than a well-timed and specifically delivered nuclear weapon? What better time to negotiate a pathway to achieving a nuclear weapons capability, than when you already have one? It is important to note that Iran has been designing plans for the United States as well. After all, intercontinental ballistic missiles are not intended for neighboring Israel — they would be aimed at the United States and they have plans for an electromagnetic pulse weapon already drafted.
In January 2014, the Arms Control Association even agreed that “as Iran progresses down a path toward a nuclear-weapons capability, the difficulties in finding a compromise that would protect against a nuclear-armed Iran while being acceptable to the leadership in Tehran have grown.”
Given that the Iranians have not agreed to any inspection of any facility for many years, and will not now agree to inspection of nuclear facilities at military installations, the odds that Iran already has a nuclear weapon are really quite high. Why is it acceptable to that Iran gets to be its own inspector? The likely answer is Iran already has the capability.
With $150 billion in assets flowing their way, Tehran will finalize the first series of deliverable weapons. A first-strike launch against Israel? Support of international radical Islam, the global caliphate and terrorism will accelerate worldwide. Nothing will stop Iran and its proxies now if the Iran deal goes forward.
• Paul Vallely, a retired U.S. Army major general, is chairman of Stand Up America and of the Legacy National Security Advisory Group, and a member of the Citizens Commission on Benghazi. Denny Haney, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, is a member of the Citizens Commission on Benghazi and operations coordinator for Special Operations Speaks.
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