Too much wiggle room, too dangerous

On January 20 the interim nuclear deal between Iran and the superpowers will go into effect. If it wasn't Iran and its nuclear program we were talking about, it could very well be that we, too, would declare, like U.S. President Barack Obama, that "the time has come to give diplomacy a chance."

Obama believes in Iran. Iran does not believe in the United States. And this is perhaps the biggest problem with the general conduct we have seen up until today, ever since the interim deal was signed on Nov. 24 in Geneva. Iran not only receives sanctions relief, but also an insurance policy: Obama will veto any new sanctions, which are currently being debated in the Senate (as a logical pressuring point), and a military attack on Iran's nuclear sites is not realistic while the diplomatic option is still on the table. We knew the Iranians were great merchants, but we didn't know to what extent: Never has the promise to stop doing something been sold at so high a price.

There are those in Washington who see President Hassan Rouhani's pragmatic Tehran as a potential partner. They see Iran as a major regional player, who can help the international community impose order over the regional mess here in the new Middle East. It's just that the Americans don't understand that Iran is an enemy -- not a partner.

Two important elements of Iran's foreign policy are the survival of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime and the acquisition of militarized nuclear capabilities, both of which coincide with its global ambitions. Global, not regional. We must remember that the Islamic republic is not trying to create a revolution at home; it is trying to do so abroad. With all due respect to Rouhani, this has not changed.

If we look closely we will see that America, not just Israel, is Iran's enemy. The conflict was and still is of an ideological nature. The country's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said at the end of November (after signing the interim deal) that Iran is posing a challenge to American influence in the region and is working to expand its own influence.

Say what you will about Khamenei, he says what he thinks. He is not risking anything because in Washington his comments are being filtered. Why? That's a good question. Apropos Khamenei, only a week ago he felt confident enough (the sanctions will be removed and there will be no new ones) to say that "we have made it clear in the past that as regards certain issues, if we feel it is appropriate, we will negotiate with the Satan [the U.S.] in order to deter the evil-doers." Sounds promising. …

Washington is giving Iran too much wiggle room, on the nuclear front and on the Syrian front. There is reason to be concerned, because there is no room for mistakes.

Iran is implementing the deal it has with the West, but is preserving the many centrifuges it has built and continues to develop (which the deal does not forbid). The Iranians are not doing this to win a prize from Kerry, rather so they can have a nuclear bomb. Period.