Expert Alert: The importance of getting to ‘yes’ on a nuclear deal with Iran

EXPERT ALERT

David Ruth
71-348-6327
david@rice.edu

The importance of getting to ‘yes’ on a nuclear deal with Iran

HOUSTON – (Nov. 11, 2014) – With a Nov. 24 negotiations deadline with Iran quickly approaching, the U.S. and the other P5-plus-1 countries (United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany) need to reach an accord to prevent the Middle East from becoming an “even more uncertain and dangerous place,” according to Joe Barnes in a column posted online today in The Hill.

In the opinion column “The importance of getting to ‘yes’ on a nuclear deal with Iran,” Barnes, who is the Bonner Means Baker Research Fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, said that coming to a deal is compelling in terms of U.S. national interests. “At a minimum, an accord would substantially increase the time necessary for Tehran to ‘go nuclear’ should it choose to do so,” he said. “Should the talks fail, the administration will face increased pressure at home and abroad to launch airstrikes at Iran’s nuclear facilities.”

Even if a deal can be reached to slow down Iran’s attempt to create nuclear weapons and to provide relief to Iran from the economic sanctions that have severely crippled its economy, President Barack Obama will likely face bipartisan opposition in Congress. The Obama administration has hinted that it could forgo congressional approval by suspending sanctions against Iran, Barnes said.

“The administration can expect a firestorm of criticism for any plausible agreement the P5-plus-1 might strike with Tehran,” he said.

Congress could create new legislation trying to kill a deal with Iran, but such legislation would likely get Obama’s veto pen, according to Barnes.

 “A veto would send a message both to Iran and to our P5-plus-1 partners that the United States could simply renege on any agreement depending on the outcome of the 2016 presidential election,” he said.

For more information or to schedule an interview with Barnes, contact David Ruth, director of national media relations at Rice, at 713-348-6327 or david@rice.edu.

The Baker Institute has a television and radio studio available for broadcast interviews.

-30-

Follow Rice News and Media Relations on Twitter @RiceUNews.

Follow Rice University’s Baker Institute on Twitter @BakerInstitute

Follow Barnes on Twitter @brazosrealist

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,920 undergraduates and 2,567 graduate students, Rice’s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just over 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life by the Princeton Review and for best value among private universities by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. To read “What they’re saying about Rice,” go here.