The Associated Press has obtained a document not made public with the rest of the Iran nuclear deal that allows Iran to accelerate its nuclear program years earlier than the White House claimed.
The document, a secret text linked to the deal between Iran and six other nations, says the country can replace 5,060 inefficient centrifuges with up to 3,500 advanced machines after 11 to 13 years, the AP reported.
The advanced centrifuges, which are five times as efficient, would cut the time Iran would need to build a nuclear weapon - referred to as "breakout time" - from a year to six months.
The provision appears to be part of the deal's "sunset clause," though it was not public, said Omri Ceren of The Israel Project, a group that advocated against the agreement.
Ceren said some experts expressed worry to Congress that limits on Iran's centrifuge research and development were too weak during the first 10 years of the agreement. But whether the administration briefed lawmakers on the newly discovered document is unclear.
It's doubtful this would have altered the vote in Congress to approve the deal. In fact, at this point it's doubtful that any revelation would have changed the minds of Democrats in the Senate who held firm and prevented a vote from taking place.
Here's the money quote from David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, during a congressional hearing before the agreement was finalized last year:
"No bans exist on Iran's research and development of the IR-6 and IR-8 centrifuges, the latter of which is up to 16 times more powerful than the IR-1 centrifuge," he said.
"Failing to achieve such bans, the interim agreement does not appear to mitigate the risks of Iran being able to deploy these more powerful centrifuges after year 13, other than some negotiators stating that they believe that Iran will have trouble actually deploying them in the future," he said.
Does giving Iran a year or two extra matter? It will probably take two years to install the upgraded centrifuges. You don't just plug these things in. They have to be carefully calibrated to spin at different speeds to enrich the uranium properly.
But that's beside the point. Once again, the president is caught in a lie about the nuclear deal. And Iran is saying it can rebuild its enrichment program even sooner:
Iran's foreign minister on Tuesday extolled the country's ability to bring its nuclear program back on track as limits on the landmark 15-year accord between Tehran and world powers ease in the coming years.
Mohammad Javad Zarif said a document, submitted by Iran to the International Atomic Energy Agency and outlining plans to expand Iran's uranium enrichment program, is a "matter of pride."
He said it was created by Iran's "negotiators and industry experts" and that even foreign media have noted Iran is likely to strive for restoring its full enrichment after 10 years.
By then, President Obama will have been out of office and his successor will have to deal with the consequences of his weakness and stupidity.
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