opinions & letters
A Second Iran Deal
Would Be Based on
Pure Fantasy
BY JOSEPH FRAGER
A merica is about to
sign off on a second
disastrous and foolhardy
nuclear deal with Iran.

Like Yogi Berra said, it’s
“déjà vu all over again.”
The same people who made the first bad
deal in 2015 are about to make another. The
only difference is that it is not Barack Obama
at the helm but President Joe Biden.

Once again, Israel’s concerns are not
being given the time of day. Biden has said
over and over again that he will not allow Iran
to acquire a nuclear weapon. He told this to
Israeli officials on his recent visit to Israel.

J Street’s Record Also Suspect
Rabbi Seymour Rosenbloom shows chutzpah slamming
AIPAC when he represents the anti-Israel J Street (“AIPAC
Needs to Rethink Its Strategy Before It Does Any More
Damage,” Aug. 25). They call themselves pro-Israel, but
that’s a lie. Their record speaks for itself.

I do, however, agree with Rosenbloom that this business
of endorsing candidates is extremely unsettling to say the
least. Should AIPAC endorse the Squad, Bernie Sanders and
all so-called progressive Democrats that holler dispropor-
tionately when Israel defends itself? And should it ignore or
the timeline of North Korea’s agreements excuse Palestinian terrorism and support BDS and the Iran
and deals with the United States and the deal, as does J Street? I don’t have the answer, but neither
West from 1994 until its nuclear breakout in does Rosenbloom.

Zachary Margolies, Philadelphia
2006, one sees an eerie reminder of Iran’s
actions. The difference, however, is that Iran is
in the Middle East. Although South Korea Substitute J Street for AIPAC
is central to America’s interests, the Gulf Regarding Rabbi Seymour Rosenbloom’s op-ed (“AIPAC
states and Israel are game changers. The oil Needs to Rethink Its Strategy Before It Does Any More
states have all joined Israel via the Abraham Damage,” Aug. 25), one could substitute “J Street” for
Accords to fend off Iranian aggression. Yes, “AIPAC” in the same headline.

Rosenbloom, who serves on J Street’s Rabbinic and
the Abraham Accords go much further and
deeper than that, but it was Iran’s nuclear Cantorial Cabinet, calls out AIPAC for endorsing and fund-
raising for Republicans in Congress who voted to overturn
ambitions that got the ball rolling.

Israel is not South Korea. It will not tolerate the 2020 election results, based on the claim that their votes
a nuclear Iran. There is no way of “contain- “openly threaten democratic rights and freedoms.”
Yet Rosenbloom is silent regarding his organization’s
ing” a nuclear Iran as some on the left have
proposed. I believe that the proponents endorsements of Democrats in Congress who voted for the
Iran agreement (the JCPOA). In a rare display of unity, Jewish
parties across Israel’s political spectrum opposed the JCPOA
because, by providing a legal pathway to Iran’s development
of a nuclear arsenal, the agreement constituted an existential
threat to the Jewish state.

The likely revival of the JCPOA by President Biden after
President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the accord in 2018
is drawing more attention to this threat. Indeed, on Aug. 24,
Mossad Director David Barnea referred to the imminent deal
as “a strategic disaster” for Israel.

Rosenbloom asserts that, by endorsing candidates who
voted to overturn the 2020 election results, “It’s long over-
of a second Iran deal actually believe con- due for AIPAC to think about the group’s actions.” How ironic
tainment is possible. This is sheer fantasy. since, by supporting candidates who voted for an agreement
Israel and the Gulf states will hold Biden to that is an existential threat to Israel, the same could be said
his promise that Iran will not be allowed to about Rosenbloom’s own organization.

Jerry Stern, Merion Station
acquire a nuclear weapon under his watch.

I have spoken to Israeli officials about how
long it would take to obliterate Iran’s nuclear
capabilities. The answer was always “a few
days.” These were high-level officials with Editorial Said Nothing
the intelligence to back up their statements. (“The Trump Effect,” Aug. 25) was a pretty useless editorial in
There have been reports of Israeli F-35 jets the sense that it took no stance about anything.

Is the Exponent afraid to take a stance regarding one of
flying over Iranian airspace. I don’t doubt it.

Biden is determined to sign a second Iran the most dangerous people in America? I thought that was
deal. It plays well in the left’s universe. It is what editorials did. Guess I was wrong. No guts; no glory.

not going to stop the Iranians from acquiring Very disappointing. JE
Frank L. Friedman, Philadelphia
a nuclear weapon. JE
The Iranians learned how to build a bomb and
fool the West from North Korea. Iran has been
following the same playbook for years.

The problem is that Iran is nearly at the
point of nuclear breakout and a nuclear
bomb is achievable in a very short time. No
deal is going to stop the Iranians at this point.

The deal will only be “smoke and mirrors.” In
a very important sense, a bad deal is worse
than no deal at all.

The two main American critics of the first
Iran deal, former National Security Advisor
John Bolton and former Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo now have Iranian bounties on
their heads.

The Iranians learned how to build a bomb
and fool the West from North Korea. Iran has
been following the same playbook for years.

All the while, it has used the $150 billion it
received from Obama as part of the 2015
deal to remain the number one state sponsor
of terrorism in the world.

North Korea had 40 nuclear weapons,
along with the ability to make at least seven
more per year and outfit its long-range mis-
siles with nuclear warheads. If one looks at
Dr. Joseph Frager is the chairman of Israel
advocacy for the Rabbinical Alliance of
America, chairman of the executive commit-
tee of American Friends of Ateret Cohanim
and executive vice president of the Israel
Heritage Foundation.

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