In order to understand the Iranian nuclear negotiations you need to
understand the trilateral relationship between the United States Israel and Iran.
At first blush it seems very simple: The United States Israel allies
they're both opposed to Iran. But the way these negotiations have gone down has severely
complicated the matter.
To understand by we need to look at the individual personalities that are
involved in the negotiations.
First off, and perhaps most importantly is President Obama.
Resolving the Iranian nuclear standoff peacefully is a major foreign policy
priority for President Obama
however it's difficult to resolve given supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
is rather hostile to Western interests specifically the United States.
However while he does have final control over the Iranian government he can be
pushed by factions
inside Iran specifically more moderate ones that are interest in sanctions
relief in exchange for a deal
President Hassan Rouhani is widely seen one of these modern figures
and his 2013 election suggested too many americans that Iran
and the supreme leader might be willing to make a deal.
This has infuriated America's ally in Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees the
Iranian nuclear programs as an
existential threat. Netanyahu: "we need a better deal
a different deal because this new would leave Iran was sufficient capability
6,000 centrifuges enables them to break out
to a bomb very quickly." This has put Netanyahu at odds with Obama,
and order to deal with this disagreement he's turned to republicans in the United States
Boehner: "I've invited prime minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu
to address a joint session of Congress" Netanyahu: That's why this deal is so bad.
It doesn't block Iran's path to the bomb
it paves Iran's path to the bomb." News reporter: "47 Republican senators put their names today
to this open letter to Iran." This type of alliance between a foreign leader
and domestic american opposition it basically unprecedented.
So you've got a strange situation where the United States is at loggerheads
with its closest ally in the Middle East, where the United States is divided
amongst itself
on foreign policy and where you've got President Obama
desperately trying to bolster the standing of moderates inside Iran, a country
the United States has regarded as a serious enemy
since 1979.