{"id":22304,"date":"2013-11-08T08:15:34","date_gmt":"2013-11-08T16:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/antiwar.com\/blog\/?p=22304"},"modified":"2013-11-08T08:15:34","modified_gmt":"2013-11-08T16:15:34","slug":"why-netanyahu-is-so-enraged-by-a-deal-with-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.antiwar.com\/blog\/2013\/11\/08\/why-netanyahu-is-so-enraged-by-a-deal-with-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Netanyahu Is So Enraged by a Deal with Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"

Secretary of State John Kerry’s last minute decision to make a surprise visit to Geneva, Switzerland, where negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran are rapidly progressing, led to an enormous amount of speculation that a first-step deal was imminent and may even be signed today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Details of the first-phase deal are limited and speculative, but the broad contours are that Iran would halt its enrichment program (whatever that means) for 6 months in exchange for “very limited” and “reversible” sanctions relief. During that 6 months, a more comprehensive grand bargain would be hashed out, which would probably include Iran making the following concessions in return for greater sanctions relief: halting all production of 20% enriched uranium; converting much of its stockpile to fuel rods; and much greater access for international inspections.<\/p>\n

To Iran hawks, that should sound like a damn good deal. Under those conditions of less enrichment and greater transparency, the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon would be transparently unfeasible.<\/p>\n

Why, then, have the Iran hawks responded with outrage? Not only is Congress responding to this good news by ratcheting up<\/a> additional<\/em> sanctions in a clear attempt to derail negotiations and set us back on the war path, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nearly hyperventilated with fury over the diplomatic progress.<\/p>\n