Former top US military officers call for rejection of Iran deal - Israel Hayom Staff

by Israel Hayom Staff

Hat tip: Jean-Charles Bensoussan

Nearly 200 retired U.S. generals and admirals urge Congress to nix the Iran deal, saying it threatens U.S. national security • Deal will let Iran "become far more dangerous, render the Mideast still more unstable, and introduce new threats," letter says.

Inside an Iranian nuclear facility | Photo credit: AP

Nearly 200 retired U.S. generals and admirals have sent a letter to Congress calling on lawmakers to reject the nuclear deal with Iran, saying it poses a threat to America's national security, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

"The agreement will enable Iran to become far more dangerous, render the Mideast still more unstable and introduce new threats to American interests as well as our allies," the letter said.

In the letter, which was addressed to Republican and Democratic leaders in the Senate and the House of Representatives, the former military officers said the deal would not prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

"Removing sanctions on Iran and releasing billions of dollars to its regime over the next 10 years is inimical to the security of Israel and the Middle East," the letter said. "There is no credibility within [the deal's] inspection process or the ability to snap back sanctions once lifted, should Iran violate the agreement. In this and other respects, [the deal] would threaten the national security and vital interests of the United States and, therefore, should be disapproved by the Congress."

Signatories of the letter included retired members of all branches of the U.S. military.

Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney, one of the letter's signatories, told the Washington Post that he considers the Iran deal to be the most dangerous nuclear accord in American history.

"What I don't like about this is, the number one leading radical Islamic group in the world is the Iranians," McInerney was quoted as saying. "They are purveyors of radical Islam throughout the region and throughout the world. And we are going to enable them to get nuclear weapons. Why would we do that?"

Meanwhile, in a Washington Post op-ed published earlier this week, former U.S. diplomat Dennis Ross and former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus wrote, "Deterrence is the key to ensuring not just that the Iranians live up to the agreement but also to preventing them from developing nuclear weapons. Iran must know that we will not permit it to become a nuclear weapons state, ever.

"Now is the time to make it clear that there will be a firewall between Iran's threshold status and its having a nuclear weapon. Now is the time for the Iranians and the world to know that if Iran dashes toward a weapon, especially after year 15, that it will trigger the use of force. At that point, it would be too late for sanctions to pre-empt an Iranian nuclear fait accompli.

"Bolstering deterrence is essential in addressing key vulnerabilities we see in the deal. A blunter statement on the consequences of Iran moving toward a weapon and of producing highly enriched uranium would allay some of our concerns. Providing the Israelis the MOP [a 30,000-pound bunker-buster bomb] and the means to carry it would surely enhance deterrence -- and so would developing options now in advance with the Israelis and key Arab partners to counter Iran's likely surge of support for Hezbollah and other Shiite militias after it gets sanctions relief.

"Deterrence would be more effective -- and full implementation of the agreement more likely -- if the Iranians understand that there will be a price for every transgression, no matter how small, and that we will raise the cost to them of destabilizing behavior in the region."

Israel Hayom Staff

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=27895&hp=1

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