Energy Secretary: Iran Deal Blocks All Paths Toward Nuclear Bomb
Energy Secretary Dr. Ernest Moniz, who played a central role in negotiating a framework deal with Iran over its nuclear program, defended the preliminary agreement on Friday during an interview with All Things Considered's Melissa Block.
"This is a good deal because it satisfies our need to block all four pathways to a nuclear weapon," Moniz said.
Moniz dismissed critics of the deal, who said that the framework leaves Iran's nuclear infrastructure intact.
"In terms of the immediate issue, we should always keep in perspective that the breakout time has been dramatically extended," Moniz said. "And I would say for the issues of having time for diplomatic or other response two months versus 12 months is quite a big difference."
What Moniz is saying is that by reducing Iran's nuclear stockpile and by reducing Iran's enrichment capabilities, the deal increases the time it would take Iran to make a first nuclear bomb from 2 months to 12 months.
Melissa also asked Moniz about the difficulties in the negotiations. Moniz said the fact that both he and Iran's energy secretary attended MIT helped things. Also, he said, there were plenty of times that he thought a deal would never get done.
How did negotiators get past that? Melissa asked.
"Sometimes its a way of how a particular issue is expressed in terms of is it a question of limits on capacity of certain technologies or is a limit of production rates, and these small differences can make a very large difference," he said. "Because let's face it, we have one agreement but we may have emphasized different parts of it in our narratives."
We'll post audio of Melissa's conversation with Moniz later on today at the top of this post.
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Transcript
MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:
We're going to begin this hour with one of the key players who was instrumental in hammering out this week's nuclear framework deal with Iran. U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz was brought in at the tail end of negotiations to settle vital technical details. Moniz is a nuclear physicist, a longtime professor at MIT, and he joins me now here in the studio. Welcome to the program.
ERNEST MONIZ: Thank you, Melissa.
BLOCK: Describe a bit the mood in the rooms there in Switzerland in these intense, through-the-night talks in the final days. The March 31 deadline came and went. What was it like?
MONIZ: It was often very, very testy, to be sure. But also I would say very professional. Certainly, in my focus with Dr. Salehi, who was the head of the Iran Atomic Energy Organization, they were very professional and very problem-solving oriented. But, you know, these are tough issues. We were asking for and required a very significant curtailment of their program as they were, of course, very interested in things like sanctions relief. So it was difficult, but I would say it was always with respect and a desire to get it done.
BLOCK: Were there a lot of times when you thought this deal is not going to happen? We're going to go home empty-handed.
MONIZ: Yes (laughter).
BLOCK: Yes, many times.
MONIZ: Many times in the last several days. I mean, we thought we were at impasses, but somehow we would find a way that would satisfy our mutual needs and got it done.
BLOCK: From a technical standpoint, we heard President Obama call this a good deal yesterday. Technically, why is it a good deal? What specifically?
MONIZ: It's a good deal because it satisfies our need to block all four pathways to a nuclear weapon should Iran choose to do it, which, of course, they have said they won't. But (laughter) that's not our - that's not the way we approached this. We have to do this on verification. That's two pathways to uranium, one pathway to plutonium and the covert pathways. I can describe any of those, but that's the key. Next is the issue of should there be a violation of the agreement, we need to know that fast. And third, we want to have, in that event, enough time to respond diplomatically or through any other means that are required. And we believe we have accomplished that as well.
BLOCK: There is a really interesting confluence here because when you were starting teaching at MIT, the Iranian, now Iran's top nuclear physicist, was then a graduate student at MIT. Do you think that had a bearing on the talks, the fact that you shared that history? I know you brought him some MIT swag when you went to Switzerland.
MONIZ: (Laughter) That's right. Well, because in the - in our second meeting, he had a wonderful event - his first grandchild was born, a granddaughter. And so I was able to get an MIT logoed beaver (laughter) for her crib. So no, I think that really helped in terms of a personal relationship because it really helped us to get into, I think, a very good relationship for discussing these trade-offs.
BLOCK: Was there one issue that seems to be the toughest sticking point and maybe the toughest sticking point going forward?
MONIZ: Well, in the domain in which I was focused I think it's very clear, and it was expected, that the hardest issue would be the future of the R&D program for next-generation centrifuges.
BLOCK: And where did you end up on that?
MONIZ: Well, we ended up in what we obviously think is a satisfactory place. There will be no contribution from the advanced R&D program to lowering what we call the breakout time for at least 10 years.
BLOCK: Breakout time, meaning the amount of the time taken...
MONIZ: Breakout time is the time it would take if they chose to go all-out for generating the material for a nuclear weapon - for a first nuclear weapon. And we have required that to be at least one year for at least 10 years. And our - the parameters that we have put out in the last day would accomplish that.
BLOCK: And, of course, much needs to happen before the next deadline, June 30.
MONIZ: Correct. There will be a lot to do, both on the technical side in terms of getting all of this worked out and also on things like what is the phasing of sanctions relief? But I want to say one thing, which I think will make it at least somewhat easier, and that is that the level of specificity in these parameters, I think, surprised a lot of people because it is quite more specific than one would normally get. Being specific now means we did not kick the can down the road, and it should help facilitate convergence within three months to the final agreement.
BLOCK: Dr. Moniz, thanks for coming in.
MONIZ: Thank you.
BLOCK: That's Ernest Moniz, the U.S. energy secretary, a key player in the nuclear talks with Iran that resulted in a framework agreement in Switzerland yesterday. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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