Former top Obama, Bush advisers warn against weak Iran nuclear deal

Ret. Gen. David Petraeus is among the signatories of a letter warning against a weak Iran deal
(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei staked out a hard line on a final Iran nuclear agreement being negotiated by Tehran, the U.S., and five other nations. On Wednesday, it was America's turn. A group of prominent U.S. security and diplomatic figures delivered an open letter to the White House and State Department warning that the emerging final deal "may fall short of meeting the administration's own standard of a 'good' agreement."

The letter, organized by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy think tank, offers a roster of minimum requirement for a final nuclear deal, many of which appear to contradict Khamenei's red lines. The U.S. negotiators should worry less about the June 30 deadline and focus more on "getting it right," Dennis Ross, Obama's former top Iran adviser and one of the signatories, tells Reuters. "The Iranians must understand that we will catch them if they cheat and that the price will be high even for lesser transgressions.... And, they must know that we will not permit them to have a weapons capability."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.