Obama's Iran Deal Wasn't About Thwarting Iranian Nuclear Capabilities

Well, cementing some kind of legacy as a "peacemaker" has long been central to the administration's Iran diplomacy. Hostility to Israel has also been a key driver. I mean, the criticism of the Iran deal has been long in coming. Everyone knows that there's going to be no way to verify Iranian compliance, since access to Iran's nuclear sites isn't guaranteed. Charles Krauthammer, for one, has pointed this out for awhile.

In any case, check out Abe Greenwald, at Commentary, "The Deal Wasn’t About Iran’s Nukes":

If you think the United States just struck a poor nuclear deal with Iran, you’re right; but if that’s your key takeaway, you’re missing the point. Iran’s nuclear program was last on the list of the Obama administration’s priorities in talking to Tehran. The administration readily caved on Iran’s nukes because it viewed the matter only as a timely pretense for achieving other cherished aims. These were: (1) preventing an Israeli attack on Iran; (2) transforming the United States into a more forgiving, less imposing power; (3) establishing diplomacy as a great American good in itself; (4) making Iran into a great regional power; and (5), ensuring the legacies of the president and secretary of state as men of vision and peace.

The administration has always viewed Israel as an intractable troublemaker and the main catalyst for the region’s woes. An Israeli strike on Iran, especially if supported by the United States, would have been yet another display of destabilizing Israeli aggression that put Middle East peace further out of reach. Barack Obama, therefore, repeatedly warned Israel against attacking Iran. Benjamin Netanyahu complied, and for his compliance White House officials taunted him in 2014 as a “chickenshit” whose window of opportunity had closed. That window is now barred. The Iran deal states that the U.S. will train Iranians to counter any sabotage attempts on its nuclear facilities and systems. This is aimed at frustrating Israeli action...

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