November 24, 2013

United States Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that Iran and the international community have reached a deal on Iran’s nuclear program, claiming it will make Israel and the Middle East a safer place. Secretary Kerry characterizes the pact as “a first step in making sure Iran could not have nuclear weapons.”

Iran has agreed, for a limited period, to curb some of its nuclear activities in return for the lifting of some international economic sanctions. Iran has also agreed to stop enriching (concentrating) uranium to create material with more than 5-percent U-235 and to dilute (weaken) much of its existing stores of 20-percent U-235 to 5 percent. Natural uranium contains 0.7 percent of an isotope of uranium known as U-235. U-235 is the only natural isotope of uranium whose nucleus (core) can easily be made to undergo fission—that is, to split into two nearly equal parts. The fission process releases the nuclear energy used in power plants and weapons. Most nuclear reactors at power plants in the United States use fuel that contains about 2- to 4-percent U-235. Nuclear weapons and the reactors for nuclear-powered ships require uranium with concentrations of about 90-percent U-235.

The agreement bars Iran from adding new centrifuges and capping or, in some cases, eliminating, stockpiles of uranium. (Centrifuges are rapidly spinning tubes used to enrich uranium.) In addition, Iran promised to open its nuclear facilities to unprecedented “daily” inspections.

The deal was condemned by the government of Israel as a “historic mistake” that rewards Iran while getting nothing in return. (Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad repeatedly vowed that Iran would “eliminate the Zionist regime,” referring to Israel.)

International affairs experts suggest that the agreement, in fact, presents President Barack Obama with the opportunity to steer a new American course in the Middle East for the first time since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. They point out that after 34 years of estrangement, the United States and Iran have signed a diplomatic accord that opens the door to further progress. “No matter what you think of it, this is a historic deal,” stated Vali R. Nasr–dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies–in an interview with The New York Times. “It is a major seismic shift in the region. It rearranges the entire chess board.”

September 26, 2012

United States President Barack Obama addressed the opening session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York City on September 25. He stated that the United States will “do what we must” to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Concerns over a nuclear-armed Iran have led the United States and many other countries to impose increasingly severe sanctions on Iran. The Iranian government has insisted that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful uses.

The president condemned the violence that erupted in predominantly Muslim nations over what he described as a “disgusting” anti-Islam video but defended U.S. freedom of speech and the spirit of tolerance that allowed the inflammatory anti-Muslim video to be made. “As president of our country, and commander in chief of our military, I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day,” noted the president. “And I will defend their right to do so.”

The United Nations (UN) General Assemblyis the only major organ of the United Nations in which all members are represented (© Mario Tama, Getty Images)

Speaking before President Obama, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon characterized the civil war in Syria as “a regional calamity with global ramifications.” President Obama was more forthright in his assessment of the situation in Syria, bluntly stating that the Bashar al-Assad regime must go. According to human rights activists, at least 21,000 people have been killed since the uprising began in March 2011. An estimated 1 million people have been displaced by the violence.

Additional World Book articles:

• Arab Spring
• Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a Special Report)
• Syria 2011 (a Back in Time article)