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Mr. President, Stop the Iran Deal Now!

Iran is the world’s leading exporter of Islamic terror and our greatest enemy. Your deal fails to keep Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. It’s time for a reset.

Iran’s constitution commands it to conquer the world through Islamic jihad, and Iran increases its bloody Middle East conquests daily. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei regularly leads chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” Can we afford an agreement that actually paves the way for a nuclear-armed Iran?

What are the facts?

“The deal we’ll accept is that they end their nuclear program.”
President Barack Obama,
October 22, 2012

Iran’s terrorist aggression makes it the greatest threat to world peace—and America’s greatest enemy. The Islamic Republic has sown seeds of global jihad for decades, killing thousands of Americans, Europeans, South Americans, Arabs and Israelis worldwide since 1982, including the deaths of 241 U.S. Marines and 58 French peacekeepers in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings. Today, Iran sponsors terrorist proxies, such as Hezbollah, which controls Lebanon and militarily backs Iran’s control of the Syrian government. Iran has also achieved dominance in Iraq by helping the Iraqis battle the Islamic State, and most recently it has seized control of Yemen through its Houthi agents. Suddenly Iran has graduated from being the largest state sponsor of Islamic terrorism to the major Islamist colonial power in the Middle East. Most distressingly, Iran proudly trumpets its intention to “annihilate” Israel, a goal it asserts is “non-negotiable.”

Despite Iran’s record of terror attacks against the U.S. and our allies worldwide, and its open hostility to American values and objectives, the White House now proposes a nuclear arms agreement with Iran that falls shockingly short of Mr. Obama’s 2012 promise to “prevent them from acquiring a nuclear weapon.”

Not only does the proposed “Iran Deal” fail to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear armaments, it permits Iran to continue developing nuclear weapons technology over the next ten years. Even more frightening, Iran denies agreeing to many key provisions that Secretary of State John Kerry claims are essential to it.

What’s wrong with the “Iran Deal”? Iran has a long history of lying about its nuclear activities and cheating on agreements. Iran ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1970, yet has been developing nuclear weapons—and lying about it—for decades. Iran also has ignored a U.N. Security Council demand that it suspend nuclear enrichment activities. In short, Iran is a bad actor on the world stage and can’t be trusted. President Obama promised in 2012 that “The deal we’ll accept is that they end their nuclear program,” which is the deal most Americans want. Here’s what that deal must look like:

1. End Iran’s nuclear program. This means shutting down Iran’s Fordow and Arak nuclear facilities and ceasing all centrifuge-enabled nuclear R&D. Iran refuses. Why?

2. Export Iran’s nuclear stockpiles. Iran has no peaceful need of its extensive nuclear stockpiles and should ship them away. It refuses this. Why?

3. Abandon development of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. ICBMs have only one purpose—to deliver nuclear bombs long distances, as far as to the U.S. Yet Iran refuses even to admit development of such missiles. Why?

4. Permit “anytime, anywhere” inspections. Iran must agree that nuclear inspectors can visit any suspicious site without warning. Iran refuses to allow this. Why?

5. Slow easing of sanctions. Any softening of economic sanctions must be spread over years, only as benchmarks are met. Iran insists on instant sanctions relief.

6. Abandon terrorism and colonialism. Iran must cease its global terror campaigns and its sponsorship of violent colonial aggression.

7. Severe punishment for any violation. Any agreement must facilitate true instant “snapback” of economic sanctions in case Iran violates this agreement.

What’s our alternative? President Obama and Secretary Kerry seem desperate to make the Iran Deal—a weak negotiating posture that has led to weak terms. If we are to make a good deal, we must insist on the conditions above and be ready to walk away. No deal is better than the current proposed deal, which does not fulfill Mr. Obama’s promise to the American people. This deal, in allowing Iran to keep its nuclear infrastructure and continue nuclear weapons research, is sure to start a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, starting with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey. What’s more, when Iran begins to cheat on this agreement—which is likely—it may force Israel to take unilateral military action, since a nuclear-weaponized Iran is an existential threat to the Jewish state. Those who criticize the proposed “Iran Deal” are often accused of wanting war with Iran. In fact, it is Iran’s current nuclear weapons development that is provocative and bellicose.

If we want to avoid military action against Iran—which most Americans do—we must negotiate an agreement that truly prevents war. It’s time to set aside the current deal—which Iran has not even agreed to—and start again. We must continue a harsh sanctions regime until Iran realizes we are serious about preventing their acquisition of nuclear weapons.