A historic agreement concluded before considering the full content and implications.

The revelation by US Senator Tom Cotton and Rep. Mike Pompeo, that two secret side agreements were concluded by the IAEA with Iran requires the most serious examination of the agreement on its merits, only, putting aside all commercial considerations and the relative persuasiveness and charm of the negotiators, the supporters and the opponents of the deal..

The short video clip above, of the exchange between Senator Cotton, Secretary Kerry and other senior officials on July 29 is revealing and embarrassing in the extreme. Deciding in advance to accept, reject or call for modification of the nuclear agreement with Iran without at least addressing the serious issues raised by Senator Cotton and others would be flagrantly irresponsible. It would in fact be a serious violation of our moral duty to future generations.

Contrary to the frequently stated claim that sanctions can be instantly snapped back, Sen. Cotton’s warnings were confirmed on August 4, when the Fars News Agency reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif declared that international sanctions against Iran have collapsed and that no one will accept their return, adding that any attempt at a return process needs several years

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said his country has achieved all its four goals. His nation started talks with the world powers in a bid to remove all sanctions while maintaining its nuclear program and nuclear progress as two main goals.

He said that all sanctions, including the financial, banking, energy, insurance, transportation, precious metals and even arms and proliferation sanctions will be, not suspended, but terminated according to the agreement as soon as the deal comes into force, adding that Iran will only be placed under certain limited arms deal restrictions for five years. [emphasis added]

Elaborating on Iran’s gains he said Iran will inject gas into its highly advanced IR8 centrifuge machines, continue its nuclear research and development, and keep its Arak Heavy Water Facility and Fordo and Natanz enrichment plants under the agreement,

Another goal, Rouhani said, was taking Iran off Chapter Seven of the UN Charter, “and we did it”.

Serious as is the mere existence of the secret deals, it is mind boggling to realize that not even Senator Kerry, the leading negotiator of the agreement, is aware of its entire contents. And it is a frightening world in which the UN Security Council on July 20, 2015 unanimously endorsed the agreement without bothering to fully examine its content and implications.

In addition, in view of the increasing terrorist threat facing Europe and the USA, another major concern is the fact that, according to Voice of America,

“The United States says Iran remains the world’s
biggest state-sponsor of terrorism”.

In the above circumstances, the agreement is seriously flawed in failing to require that Iran cease its terrorist activities, regional meddling and human rights abuses. Premature release of billions of dollars will no doubt significantly assist Iran in its nefarious activities.

General Dempsey has confirmed Sen. Cotton’s statement that Iran is responsible for providing IEDs to terrorist insurgents in Iraq, who have used the deadly devices to kill hundreds of American soldiers. Cotton referred to Iran as a regime with much American blood on its hands and whose leaders still chant “death to America.”

In the short time available to him, Sen. Tom Cotton, an Iraq war veteran and graduate of Harvard Law School expressed his concern about several additional aspects including reports that Iran will be permitted to provide its own soil samples. He likened this to allowing an athlete to submit a urine sample for a drug test without supervision.

Cotton emphasized that the Corker/Cardin legislation requires that Congress receive every single word of the finalized Iran deal. Responding to Kerry’s response that the side agreements must be classified in order to respect the privacy of the IAEA, Cotton rejoined that the Ayatollahs will know what they agreed to, but not the American people.

There can be no doubt that it would be grossly irresponsible to avoid giving due consideration to the concerns raised by Se. Cotton and others.