Iran Nuclear Deal

Mariam Shakir, Staff WriterEven when there are few options, people are rarely ever satisfied. The Iran nuclear deal has received both criticism and congratulations since it was finalized last July.The deal reduces the sanctions on Iran’s economy in return for a much more limited nuclear program. If the terms of the agreement are followed, it will be impossible for Iran to create a nuclear weapon, according to the Obama administration. However, some critics wonder, how can we know that Iran won’t break the deal?The fact that the deal lifts many of the international and financial sanctions on Iran gives the Islamic nation an incentive to follow the deal. Iran has been a developing country for a very long time, and it would be counterintuitive for Iran to give up an opportunity for economic growth, simply so that it can develop a bomb.A popular criticism of the bomb is that it allows Iran to maintain its nuclear facilities. They say that there is no guard against Iran enriching uranium in secret so long as it has its facilities. However, this method has been tried in the past, and has reaped no benefits. In fact. The Obama administration cites this as evidence that preventing Iran from any uranium enrichment will not accomplish what we want.The prevailing concern with this deal is that if Iran is permitted to keep its nuclear weaponry other Middle Eastern countries may begin to develop their own nuclear weaponry in response, thus starting an arms race. While this may still be a concern, the situation under the deal is far less risky than leaving Iran completely unsupervised. At least under the deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency will be able to keep a watch on Iran by periodically checking their warehouses and nuclear facilities.America has long been stumped on how to deal with the threat of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. While the plan is not perfect, the problems and the benefits associated with it will emerge as time passes with the deal in effect. Only time will tell how it suits Americans and Iranians.