Is Iran in Compliance With Obama's Unsigned Nuclear Deal? No Way, Jose!

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To great fanfare, sanctions against Iran will be lifted after the International Atomic Energy Agency determined that Khamenei and friends have upheld their part of the unsigned nuclear deal with the P5+1. Is Iran actually in compliance? Not a chance.

VOA News informed us on Thursday, "Iran has poured concrete into the core of the Arak nuclear reactor, making it nearly impossible to produce weapons-grade plutonium at the facility." However, on Tuesday, as reported by Thomas Erdbrinkjan in a New York Times article entitled "Iranian Official Denies That Nuclear Reactor Was Sealed":

"An Iranian nuclear official on Tuesday denied a report that technicians had removed the core of the country’s only heavy-water reactor and poured concrete into the cavity, a final step toward the completion of the historic nuclear agreement in July and the lifting of sanctions on Iran.

The official, Ali Asghar Zarean, Iran’s deputy nuclear chief, told state television that a report about the Arak reactor by the semiofficial Fars News Agency on Monday was baseless. He said Iran planned to sign an agreement next week with China to modify the reactor, which is capable of producing the plutonium needed to build an atomic weapon."

So wherein lies the truth? Perhaps the IAEA would care to provide us with some pictures? Not likely.

Moreover, as reported by DEBKAfile in article entitled "Progress of sanctions relief will quicken Iran’s power struggle, spur clash with Saudi Arabia":

"[The] deal provided for the number of centrifuges enriching uranium at the Natanz center to be reduced from 19,500 to 5,050. Our sources report that 9,000 are still in operation.

. . . .

There is no confirmation that the number of centrifuges operating at the underground facility of Fordo was cut down to one thousand, as agreed."

Yup, we are witnessing a replay of Neville Chamberlain's 1938 declaration of "Peace for our time." The silver lining in the story is that in order for Iran to balance its budget, the price of a barrel of oil must be $130, whereas the current price is below $30, and with more Iranian oil on the market, the worldwide glut only stands to increase.