Weekend Review: Obama’s Naive Parlay With Iran
Mona Charen on Obama’s worry: “the prospect of a nuclear weapon going off in Manhattan.”
By Mona Charen
President Barack Obama confessed a fear: “I continue to be much more concerned, when it comes to our security, with the prospect of a nuclear weapon going off in Manhattan.”
It would be reassuring to think that the president worries about this (when he’s not busy filling out his NCAA brackets), except that he is failing to do the most important thing to prevent such a catastrophe. …
The most likely scenario (God willing, still unlikely) in which terrorists could threaten Manhattan or any other city would be for the most prolific terror-sponsoring state in the world to obtain nuclear weapons. While we are clinking glasses with Iran in negotiations in Vienna, the U.S. State Department continues to list Iran as a state sponsor of terror. In 2012, Iran participated in planned terror attacks in India, Thailand, Georgia and Kenya. It provided aid and training to the Taliban, Shia groups in Iraq, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and continues to cooperate in various ways with al-Qaida. The president should curl up some evening with the State Department’s country reports. They’re not beclouded by wishful thinking. …
Four months ago, the U.S. significantly eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for Iranian promises to work out a “long-term comprehensive solution” to the nuclear problem. From the beginning, Iranian spokesmen have claimed that the agreement acknowledges an Iranian right to enrich uranium. The U.S. denies this. So what are they discussing in Vienna? They don’t say. Last week, a large majority of the members of Iran’s parliament voted to resist any limits on the Arak nuclear plant. …
If Obama does lose sleep worrying about nuclear terrorism, he should drop his naive parlay with Iran. He may fondly envision a new cordiality between old foes. That’s not what they see. (Read the rest.)
