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Barry Werner:

The P5+1 are bound under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to undertake effective measures in the direction of nuclear disarmament that will achieve at the earliest possible date the cessation of the nuclear arms race. Therefore the only negotiations the members of the P5+1 are permitted to enter into with Iran, which is a non-nuclear-weapon signatory state of the NPT, would be to force Iran to stop its nuclear weapons program immediately and verifiably assure that it will never be able to restart it. The P5+1 are, by treaty obligation, not allowed to enter into any agreements with Iran that would assist, encourage, or induce it to only temporarily or partially pause its nuclear weapons program in exchange for a promise that the world’s most powerful nations and Parties to the Treaty, the P5+1, will not interfere with its developing nuclear weapons in the future. The deal the P5+1 are trying to make with Iran is illegal under the NPT because it declares that Iran has an inherent right to nuclear weapons capability, contrary to the intent of the NPT, allows it to keep its nuclear weapons research program and infrastructure intact, and only restricts it from acting on that right for a limited period of time. Rather, the P5+1 are obligated to firmly oppose Iran’s aggressive intentions with even stronger economic sanctions coupled with continuous military intervention, if necessary, until Iran unequivocally agrees to permanently dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

The P5+1 say the agreement they arrived at with Iran is the best they can do (read: the most they are willing to do) to stop Iran from introducing nuclear weapons into the Middle East in the near future. They say the alternative to allowing Iran to be able to produce nuclear weapons in 10-15 years would be going to war with Iran (read: have Iran retaliate against them and their interests), which they say would be worse (read: for them). But whether they want to bear the cost or not, they are obligated by the NPT to oppose Iran’s breaking the treaty.

If the agreement, as we now understand it, with Iran comes to fruition, then when Iran does breakout, as it is certain to do, it will result in nuclear weapons proliferation throughout the Middle East and the P5+1 will be responsible for allowing it to happen by having shirked their treaty obligations. Top of FormBottom of Form

It is instructive to look at the wording of the NPT: http://www.un.org/disarmament/WMD/Nuclear/NPT

Barry Werner

According to Article I, treaty members are “not in any way to assist, encourage, or induce any non­-nuclear­ weapon State to manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, or control over such weapons or explosive devices,” yet the P5+1 are empowering Iran to maintain its nuclear weapons program in a diminished state without dismantling the essential infrastructure. Technically, they are not allowing Iran to “manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons” now or in the near future, which was the point of the recent negotiations, but they are making the decision for the whole world to allow Iran to come within a year of nuclear breakout now and be fully able to produce nuclear weapons in 10-15 years (but presumably not by assisting, encouraging, or inducing them to do so directly), hence canceling the world’s decision to put an end to the nuclear arms race.

Article VI says “Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.” So by conspiring with Iran to allow it to renege on its treaty obligations and not demanding its complete nuclear disarmament, the P5+1 are in violation of the Treaty by not acting in good faith to pursue the goals of the treaty.

Article VIII describes how the treaty can be amended. According to this Article the P5+1 are not empowered to change the treaty on their own, but they are doing so by negotiating with Iran to allow it to maintain its illegal weapons program now and to be able to breakout illegally in the future.

By making a deal with Iran, the P5+1 are simultaneously unleashing the scourge of a world-wide nuclear arms race, which they have obligated themselves not to do, and empowering a monstrously dangerous rogue state in the Middle East.

Barry Werner blogs on Israel Seen.

Bio:

I was born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn, NY and attended an Orthodox yeshiva, but I am a secular Jew today and still have a high regard for Judaism. I enjoy learning about Judaism, Jewish history and history in general.

In yeshiva I learned what it is like to be religious and how to be religious without being a fanatic. I recognize the power and importance of religion in people’s lives and the need to restrain religious fanaticism.

I was born in 1944, when the Nazi Holocaust was in full operation. I grew up when the world was just beginning to comprehend what had happened. When I read about the willing participants to the Holocaust from other European countries, I realized that the Holocaust was not an aberration restricted to Germans, but it represents the depravity that humanity in general is capable of.

I wanted to understand the world as science understands it (which is a rather religious thing to do) so I earned a PhD in Physics at Brandeis University. My PhD thesis was in Astrophysics and my professional career was in Medical Physics. For many years I did research in the fundamentals of Medical Physics and taught Medical Physics in universities.

I made aliyah in 2009.

I am very interested in the Arab/Israeli conflict and especially in the phenomenon of anti-Zionism. I enjoy discussing Israel with left-wingers, right-wingers, Arabs, Europeans, and anyone who is interested in the Arab/Israeli conflict.

 Barry Werner