The deadline for negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 countries regarding Iran’s nuclear program has been extended in Lausanne, Switzerland where talks are taking place. Fox News reported earlier that there was a “deal” in the works between Iran and the U.S., U.K., Russia, China, France, and Germany, but it’s not about the nuclear program. Rather, it’s a deal to simply keep talking. Now, the Times of Israel is reporting that the U.S. State Department has said, “We’ve made enough progress in the last days to merit staying until Wednesday” ( Times of Israel).
Originally, the March 31 (at midnight) deadline was for negotiating a framework for a deal. At some point, that was softened to a goal of arriving at an understanding for a framework. And now, it has been diluted further to an agreement merely for continuing discussions toward achieving a final agreement by the end of June when the current agreement expires.
Key components of an ultimate agreement are:
- Iran’s continuing uranium enrichment
- where stockpiles of enriched uranium will be stored
- limitations on nuclear research and development, and
- when and how current sanctions on Iran will be lifted
Great concern
Senator Lindsey Graham, R-SC defined a good deal as one that would leave Iran with “a nuclear power program that can’t be used to make a bomb” ( Fox News).
Concerns include how quickly Iran will be able to turn out a nuclear weapon once the new agreement expires as well as how to ensure Iran doesn’t defy the agreement.
Senator Timothy Kaine (D, S.C.) noted that Iran is “a nation that has proven to be very untrustworthy” (Washington Post). He warned that if its nuclear infrastructure is not dismantled, we are likely to step into another situation similar to when North Korea continued to pursue nuclear weapons despite its agreement that it would not.
Another matter is what Iran’s nuclear endeavors would do to the region. Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger expressed uneasiness that a bad deal would spark a nuclear arms race among several Middle East countries and dissolve the future into matters of managing nuclear proliferation rather than preventing it (Washington Post).
Israel
Meanwhile, Israel waits vigilantly on the sideline for an agreement that could leave them even more vulnerable to the prospect of a nuclear empowered Iran.
“The land around us is trembling”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a powerful statement after Israel’s newly elected Knesset was sworn in Tuesday. “The land around us is trembling,” he said, referring to increasing agitation in the Middle East ( Times of Israel). “The biggest threat to our security and future was and will remain Iran’s attempt to arm with nuclear weapons,” he continued. “The agreement being put together at Lausanne is paving the way for that result” ( Jerusalem Post).
“Erasing Israel off the map is nonnegotiable”
Proving Netanyahu’s assessment of the threat to be true, a militia commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards was quoted Tuesday by Israel Radio, saying that “erasing Israel off the map” is “nonnegotiable” ( Times of Israel). Chief Mohammad Reza Naqdi “claimed that much of Hamas’s arsenal, training, and technical knowhow in the summer conflict with Israel was supplied by Iran” ( Times of Israel). Naqdi declared that “arming the West Bank has started” and “the Zionists should know that the next war won’t be confined to the present borders” ( Times of Israel).
Critical time for Israel – please pray
The coming months are critical for Israel. Their safety as a nation is at stake. Please pray for the continued talks with Iran, and for America’s continued support of Israel. Though End Times’ Bible prophecy describes a day when the entire world turns against Israel, we are called to pray for her peace. Pray for God’s protection of His People and His Land and that the deal manufactured in Lausanne will be good for Israel or fall apart. Please pray that Jewish hearts in Israel and the world over will open to Yeshua the Messiah and thus introduce them to the Prince of Peace Himself.
Source: Fox News
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