The Ministers of Foreign Affairs from the P5+1 states, Iran and the European Union
Iranian council approves nuclear deal. The Islamic republic’s accord with the P5+1 states has just gained the final support of a Guardian Council, composed of six Muslim clerics appointed by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, as well as six lawyers which normally ensure that new legislation does not violate the country’s Shi’ite religious guidelines.
The nuclear deal was reached earlier this year, on July 14, after much negotiation. Hardliners in both Tehran and the US Congress have criticized the nuclear deal and both their governments’ seemingly moderate positions and ability to compromise in order to reach an agreement. Despite significant pressure and opposition, all parties have promised to fulfill their end of the bargain and respect all conditions of the deal.
The agreement will lift nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, a country which continues to deny baseless accusations that it seeks to build an atomic bomb. GOP members of the US Congress however have been fierce in their opposition to the agreement reached by the P5+1, insisting, despite all evidence, that Iran is seeking to enrich uranium in order to have their own nuclear arsenal.
The state of Israel has led the campaign against a nuclear Iran, urging US lawmakers to oppose the new deal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has extensively argued that Iran cannot be trusted, rejecting claims that the Tehran regime is conducting nuclear research for peaceful purposes.
The Israeli Prime Minister has repeatedly claimed that a nuclear Iran poses a threat to Israel’s very existence. Netanyahu has been resorting to such rhetoric for almost two decades – he had previously warned the US Congress in 1992 that Iran was “three to five years away” from having a nuclear bomb.
At his recent speech at the UN, Netanyahu reiterated his firm opposition to the nuclear deal, even casting blame on representatives from all other countries for remaining silent with regards to the alleged “genocidal” threats made by Iran against Israel.
Nonetheless, Netanyahu was invited earlier this year to speak before the US Congress on this exact issue, in what many believe was a Republican attempt to sabotage President Barack Obama’s efforts to reach a peaceful deal with Iran.
But according to recent reports, the vast majority of Americans support the agreement, regarding this as the only peaceful solution and alternative to war. Some have even suggested that Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif should be considered for a shared Nobel Peace Prize.
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