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Iran Uranium ‘Breakthrough,’ Just in Time for a Sanctions Debate

It’s difficult not to be skeptical here, but the Iranian regime is announcing that it’s reached a deal, brokered by Brazil, to send the majority of its uranium

Jul 31, 202047.7K Shares918.8K Views
It’s difficult not to be skeptical here, but the Iranian regime is [announcing](http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iran-nuclear-20100517,0,7697709.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+latimes/middleeast+(L.A.+Times+-+Middle+East)) that it’s reached a deal, brokered by Brazil, to send the majority of its uranium to Turkey to be enriched into a state unsuitable for nuclear weapons. On the face of it, that would revive a deal President Obama proposed last year to have a third country do Iran’s enrichment for it, thereby putting time back on the clock before Iran went nuclear to assemble an international strategy to change Iran’s decision-making on developing nuclear weapons. Iran rejected that offer.
But that’s the face of it. The United States is in its strongest position ever at the United Nations Security Councilto place economic sanctions on Iran, thanks in large part to consistent Iranian rebuffs of U.S. outreach. That means the smart strategy for Iran is a late-breaking show of superficial reasonableness. “This is a potentially important breakthrough and could signal a return to engagement, which everyone wants to see,” proliferation expert Jacqueline Shire tells Politico’s Laura Rozen. But it remains to be seen if what everyone wantsto see gets in the way of what they shouldsee.
The Obama administration has yet to comment on the prospective Turkey enrichment move.
Rhyley Carney

Rhyley Carney

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