Biden: Nuclear Deal an 'Historic Opportunity'
JERUSALEM, Israel -- Vice President Joe Biden defended the U.S. position on the pending nuclear deal with Iran with its June 30 deadline.
In recent remarks at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Biden said the United States paved the way for the rest of the world to engage in a "genuine diplomatic path" and an "historic opportunity to forge an enduring peaceful solution."
He added anyone who says the deal paves the way to a bomb just doesn't "get it."
Yet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned in his March speech to a joint session of Congress that the current deal does "pave the way to a bomb."
He repeated the warning to conference participants via videoconferencing Friday.
"As the prime minister of Israel, I can tell you categorically this deal will endanger Israel -- big time. But it's not just Israel that will be in danger: The Middle East and the entire world will be threatened," Netanyahu said.
Iran wants the deal to eliminate the tough sanctions that have taken a toll on its economy.
While the agreement may seem good to the P5+1 (U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China and Germany), it's highly unlikely to steer the present Iranian regime off course.
It seems clear that Iran is not about to curb its nuclear program nor its other efforts to fund, arm, and train terrorists in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, or the Gaza Strip.
Today the regime also boasts a robust intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program.
Its leaders frequently threaten to wipe Israel, the "little Satan," off the map before going after America, the "big Satan."
Despite that kind of rhetoric, the Obama administration insists a negotiated deal on Iran's nuclear program paves the way to "an enduring peaceful solution."
Many Israelis believe the reality is those who think Iran will open its nuclear facilities to international regulation don't "get it" and Israel is not in a position to indulge in wishful thinking.
That's why Netanyahu warns that lifting sanctions only emboldens the presence of the world's most prolific state sponsor of terrorism on the international scene.
Its uranium enrichment program is intended to produce nuclear bombs that its ICBMs can deliver regionally and beyond. This begs the question: Does Iran envision itself a nuclear-armed power to be reckoned with on the international scene?
Biden admitted Iran has cheated in the past, but having a deal in place, he says, will make it "far more likely" to get caught.
At the same time, the vice president admitted that Israel has reason for concern.
"Israel is absolutely right to be worried about the world's most dangerous weapon falling into the hands of a nation whose leaders dream openly about the destruction of Israel," he said. "The notion that Israel is too concerned is preposterous."
