Iran is set to reap a windfall of $100 billion as sanctions are lifted thanks to a nuclear deal brokered by President Barack Obama’s administration.
But a key Iran watchdog is warning that while the hardline regime will be flush with cash, there’s nothing stopping the country from using the money to continue its nuclear ambitions.
And Iran may be just months from being able to build its own nuclear bomb.
Secretary of State John Kerry sought today to downplay the amount of money and frozen assets that will now flow to Iran, after the International Atomic Energy Agency declared that Iran had met its obligations under the terms of the accord. But it’s clear that $30 billion will be immediately available, according to multiple sources, and tens of billions more dollars will soon follow.
Previous estimates had valued the frozen assets at $100 billion or more.
Many fear this significant influx of cash (the Iranian gross domestic product is less than $400 billion a year) could embolden hardliners in their pursuit of a nuclear bomb, and give them the financial ability to speed up the process.
The nonprofit watchdog organization Iran Watch estimates that the Islamic Republic could easily produce a nuclear weapon within the year – and perhaps as quickly as just two months from now.
And, as the group notes, the nuclear deal does not stop Iran from enriching uranium. Critics have also expressed concerns about provisions of the accord that do not allow for unannounced inspections.
While the Obama administration is brushing aside fears that Iran could use its cash infusion to continue its weapon programs or sponsor terror, it doesn’t look like the administration is buying its own spin.
Just this weekend, the Obama administration announced new sanctions on Iran over recent ballistic missile tests. It’s long been feared that Iran would try to pair a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead.
The new sanctions will not affect the unfreezing of Iranian assets.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued to be an outspoken critic of the deal. He says it will not curb Iran’s ultimate nuclear aspirations and does not impede Iran’s longstanding support for Israel’s worst enemies, like the Lebanese Hezbollah group and the Palestinian Hamas.
He said Israel remains committed to preventing Iran from making a nuclear weapon and that “what is clear is that Iran will now have more resources to divert to terrorism and its aggression in the region and around the world.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article
Carter initiated sanctions after the Nov 4, 1979 hostage crisis began. He realized that Iran is an outlaw nation. This administration seeks to empower Iran in this era of instability in that region. The overwhelmingly Republican Congress does little to stop this madness.
We thought Carter was bad now we have Obama
Carter seems to me as a well itended idiotic Sunday School teacher. As we know, the world is full of idiots, who are even worse than an ill intended POTUS, such as we have now. When will Americans learn how to elect the right kind of POTUS? Mayhap never.
Carter is a saint and one of the most intelligent POTUS ever elected. But really good men don’t do well in that job unless they also can pull the trigger when they need to. That combination is so hard to find and we haven’t even had one to choose from in a very, very long time. And if we did, I don’t care what you call him, Repub, Dem, whatever, I would vote for him.
Carter was extremely intelligent but he had no common sense. He’d come into the Oval Office every morning carrying a briefcase. Inside the briefcase was a cross pen and a stapler. At the end of the day he’d put that stapler and cross pen back in his briefcase and go back to the living quarters.
a saint of satan along with osnobma. ESAL!!!!!!!!!
Obama must know what is best for us, since he is both our fearless leader, and also the “Commander In Chief” of our armed forces!
yeah, he is a forcept alright. keeps on squeezing us to death…………
Not sure what you’re saying here Main Street? That a nation which was once our enemy will always be our enemy? Take a look at Germany and Japan today. Are they still our enemies?
@ Equalizer. Germany and Japan were defeated 71 years ago. The haters in those nations were removed from power. Today, Iran advocates hate as much if not more than 1979.
Main Street: I would hope that we don’t have to ‘bully’ other nations into liking us.
Look at Vietnam – they kicked our butts and we get on great with them now. And in older times, Mexico, Canada.
Just relax … Iran’s people are good folk and they really like American values (just like here, not all Iranians are religious nut cases encouraged by their leadership to hate foreigners and those of different religious persuasions!)
Hopefully Israel will step in long before that happens If Obamas is still around.
Iran is not our enemy.We,however have been their enemy.In the early 50’s we orchestrated the overthrow of their elected president Mossadeq because he nationalized their oil.Then we installed a cruel military dictator,the Shah.Our CIA operated,as usual,out of our embassy in Tehran.That is why they occupied our embassy after they threw out the Shah.You are so wrong.
Is the White House fully aware that Iran sells maps of the world with Israel blacked out as does Saudi Arabia?
A previous Iranian cleric was reported a saying ‘The path to salvation lies through a mushroom cloud’ or similar when translated.
The White house just keeps making bigger mistakes to try and correct their previous mistakes.
Hope it doesn’t go FUBAR on us.
They are not mistakes. Obama know EXACTLY what he is doing! It is all part of his PLAN! Scumbag!
was Obama’s dad Suni or Shia? Could give insight to his actions.
I think that all 535 people in Washington are nothing but commies muslins trash and to think they control 350 000 000
people what a bunch of dumn ass people we are
Idiots..DC it’s like we got a bunch of idiots there!!! First thing theyll do is use it in Israel then us. Why do you think Ovomit bought his mansion in Dubai? He knows exactly what he’s doing!! Don’t kid yourselves. He is an admitted Muslim and definitely out to destroy all of us. Iran with nukes…mmm..you all figure it out.
YEP!
Don’t talk rubbish – he’s a Christian. Can’t believe everything you hear on Focks News!
From so called “Darkest Africa” I must agree with you!! the 350,000,000 of your countrymen are either “brain dead” OR just plain stupid!
amen!
And AIPAC controls them
Obama and John Kerry are F##king IDIOT, if Iran uses Nuclear Bombs on the United States, then we should go after Obama and Kerry and hunt them down. Obama since he been in office, all he did was make deals with our enemies.
What about “W?” He was running a around in the Mideast looking for WMD’s that didn’t exist while N. Korea was happily detonating nuclear weapons!!!
The reason “W” lied to all Americans about WMD’S was so he could take out Hussein because he had put a price on Bush Senior’s head.
That was his revenge against Saddam and in doing so destabalized the entire Middle East. This will lead to the destruction of Israel and eventually the U.S.
So, between Obomonation and W. Bush, we can all kiss our asses “goodbye”.
God bless Mr. Trump for his attempt to reverse our doomed situation.
You are right about the Bushes and virtually ALL the Dems–especially the Clintons. Bernie is really not corrupt but he will never be allowed to become President. He was actually allowed to run as a “joke candidate” who would assure that Hillary would not get “cheated” out of the nomination–like 2008. I think it is hilarious that Bernie is running so well against her–that is the measure of just how much she is disliked by many of the people in the Democratic Party.
The Bushes and the Clintons, in particular, always try to run the government to benefit themselves. The reason why there was a price put on Pappy Bush’s head was because he double-crossed Saddam when Bush Sr. was heading up the CIA and then later, when he was President, he caused Saddam to believe that the U.S. would not act if Saddam invaded Kuwait. The truth is that the Iraq invasion and the Iraq war was waged in order to rid the international oil cartel of someone who had become a thorn in their sides–Saddam. He kept jerking the price of oil up and down with opening and closing the Iraqi oil spigot. The Saudis have now done the same thing–they have flooded the world with oil in order to bring the price down-down-down. One of the main reasons why they have done it is to destroy the oil industry in N. America. It will be interesting to see if they get away with it.
Donald Trump is an honest, kind and generous man and really cares about America and its people. If anyone can change the course of this country, he can. I only hope it is not too late.
Not only will Iran get the bomb, the will pay for it with the money we send them. Great job Barak.
It sounds like you believe, as so many others do that Obama is writing a check to Iran for $100,000,000,000 of American money……WE are not giving them one penny in reality…..the UN is ALLOWING them access to their own money that we had blocked them from accessing because they’re douchebags. With this new agreement, they are turning over the bulk of their nuclear materials. They’re filling intheir reactor with concrete so they can’t make any more, and they supposed to be less douchy in the future……..that crap they pulled on our sailors is not showing good intent……I need more info on what the hell was going on there. What the hell were our guys doing anyway? Was their high tech GPS gear broken?
Saw Rand Paul on the tube a couple hours ago…..he said the deal with Idan is actually pretty good!!! BUT, the Republicans as a general whole just have to say anything Obama or any other Democrat does is a catastrophe just because……..even if it’s something they had been wanting…..working for…..THIS is the problem…..they are intentionally promoting division and hatred!!! And then they wonder why we have violence in America? Idiots…….
David: you sound like A Liberal Jew, left wing.
even like George Sorros,
What about the brave people of Isrial
We should be lucky enough to have that type of leadership in the USA.
We should be backing them not the hate mongering Mu-slums
BS.Remember the USS Liberty.
I agree…promoting division and hatred and they all say Trump is doing this…wake up people it is a little too late to blame this mess on trump! Trump is now saying to close doors till we can figure out who our allies are. I agree
But we should not have allowed interest. We should have handed them the amount that was frozen in 1980 – we should not pay interest to countries when they are punished for crimes.
David, I’d like to see a picture (up close and satellite) of that reactor filled in with concrete. Did we trust the Russians during the cold war? In case you don’t know the truth, is as evidenced in your post, the answer is NO. (And yes, most of us know that the money is Iran’s.) There will be no unannounced inspections…sort of like giving a SIX MONTH warning to Iraq before the US invaded. Hmmm, wonder where the Syrians got all their WMD’s? Talk about idiots!!! And those remarks about the Republicans: buddy, you’re looking in the mirror. Idiot.
David – You are absolutely correct! But remember that this blog is run for impotent right-wing-nuts who got kicked out of 3rd grade for bad spelling and inability to pay attention. So now they sit glued all day to Fox News and its idiotic opinionating that usually begins with ‘some say’ or ‘some fear’. It’s all totally fabricated to encourage the right-wing nuts to express their opinions however stupid, misinformed, or off-base they may be. And they’re the ones that talk about media distortion … ha-ha !
Where is the money, which banks? Is it in a separate acct. or being used. It may not be available it give back. I know it is only Jnl. entries but there are still debits & credits or there should be.
This will lead to instability in the middle east where other countries will also want to either develop or purchase nuclear arms thereby creating a huge weapons race. Add to that that these countries have little or no emotional IQ are very little dedicated to peace ( it is a foreign concept to them) and fight at the drop of a hat, then add the centuries old Shite and Sunni fights and you have a perfect recipe for WWIII and the US and Russia being dragged into it…..Thanks Obama, Kerry, Clinton and all the useless liberals with ZERO foreign policy experience…..Thanks…for nothing
I totally agree.
I also agree………!
Let’s not forget “W.” He started the whole destabilization process with his lies to get us into Iraq in the first place!! A trillion $ fiasco…..just for his own and his traitor sidekicks profit……..Cheney the traitor…..remember he outted ValeriePlame while she was operating in a hostile area….that’s treason!!! He should have been tried and hanged…….
Does any American truly expect positive results from the obuma/iran-so called-treaty? Since the day it was announced in DC, I smelled the stink in Ohio. iran WILL soon have nuclear weapons and the world will suffer.
If we still had W in the house Iraq would had been stable today and Iran would’ve been playing games knowing they would had be next, but Obama by pulling out our troops caused all the problems. We had no choice to go into Iraq, what should we have done after we had planes strike our towers nothing? I believe W showed balls and did what he had to!
wouldn’t had type-o
So, let me figure this out, you’re claiming that it was Saddam Hussein who perpetrated 9-11 and not those Saudi guys …
Oh, it was the liberal media’s fault. How could you not be aware of the historic links between the Saudi princes and the Bush family? So, do you think that Iraq might have been a scapegoat? Quite frankly, if So-damn-Insane had been left alone, since he hated Al-Quaida as much as we do, there would have been few problems in the mid-east. Yup, he was a petty little dictator, but he was OUR dictator and we worked with him for decades. He just needed a good spanking from time to time, but not total annihilation !
The end of his term can’t get here fast enough! I just hope we have enough on the right to keep us from being destroyed from within. Hope & pray! Not hope & change.
Hey Eddie, What I can understand is they had a poll about people who supports socialism and the numbers were high. What’s wrong with people why would they want to give up their freedom? We need Trump,, Vote Trump!!!
I believe that the majority of congress is nothing more than a bunch of blood sucking parasites draining the life out of every American while lining there own pockets for self fulfilled gain. At one time I was convinced that a member of congress was someone we all looked up to with respect and was a true American who loved his country with honor and distinction. We now have a Republican majority in congress and “guess what” it’s business as usual. We have a president who should have been Impeached years ago and the Republican congress does nothing but give Americans lip service while enjoying the benefits of the best health care, retirement with full pay for life, while the average tax payer has to struggle every day to just try and get by.
“Oh yes we got change all right”
LFO
we should bag all the sons of bitches and dump them in the deepest sea , put Obama on the bottom ,where he belongs ,
VERY WELL SAID !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Iran held hostages knowing wed cave & we lose, now watch Israel do heavy duty strike on Iran reactors ala 1981 but more so Now vs then.
Watch Israel.
Gloves off Iran now, Watch out world, Nuke Iran is coming.
Israel will clobber Iran before they get a nuke.
Hope so !
We are giving Iran the power to stop that and so is Russia.
Israel won’t do s–t.They want the US to do it for them as usual.
What will it take for the Republican party to wake up and do something. stop this President from destroying THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The Neville Chamberlain gullibility award goes to Barack Obama and John Kerry. President Obama’s legacy will be the number of situations he has made more dangerous through his incompetent leadership.
Israel should send word to Iran that any attack directed against them will instantly result in complete destruction of the Dome of the Rock and a slaughter of the Palestinians within Israel’s border. We should equip Israel with the nuclear weapons they need to protect themselves.
Israel already has nukes … oh but you don’t pay attention to the News (outside of Fox that is !)
Yes but they have never threatened to destroy their neighbor. Proof is they have not used them in any conflict.
And because of the agreement between Iran and the U.S.A., Iran has exported 75% of its refined Uranium 235 stockpile to Kazakhstan. I don’t reckon they have enough left to make even a single bomb. And since most of their centrifuges have been shut down, they can’t refine enough to make a bomb. Iran people are no different from us – they want a higher standard of living too, and this way it will be harder in the future for the Iranian leadership to turn back the clock to a more austere time. Just sayin’
Puppet Master Valerie Jarrett of Iranian descent is in full control of her puppet obama.
These clowns are praising themselves as to what a great deal they made with Iran.
They don’t need a program anymore. They can just buy the nukes from rouge nations.
It won’t be long before Israel is nuked. All because we have incompetent leaders.
John Kerry is totally incompetent for that position, that’s what happens when the good old boy system takes over, the taxpayers suffer dearly, the whole adminastraion is against America and trying very hard to destroy the country, I hope that Trump will bring a much needed change to the country.
you guys a bunch of zionist since 2003 you and the rest keep saying Iran will have Nuke ??
you guys keep plundering the world under pretex of BS Nuke
we need to tell, Iran the only way we pay you a hundred Billion Dollars is that they take Obama ,that would be worth the price to get rid of Obama ,I gladly chip in some money to get Obama out of our Country ,then Obama would be with his muslim Family in Iran ,Obama does not belong in America ,he belongs in Prison for Treason ,
Mossad agents have written that Iran was provided nuke-tipped rockets 20 years ago, tried to return them to US leadership, but which “leadership” declined. The current hassle about Iran acquiring a nuke, perhaps, maybe, etc, is only propaganda intended to fraudulently scape-goat Iranian leadership. It comes from the same source that is commanding the private, mercenary army, ISIL, that is neither commanded nor funded by Islam. ISIL does not reflect the Islamic Nation, but rather the israeli MOSSAD/CIA.
Dr. B Helthi — what planet are you from? Just wondering…………
Dr b my guess is a camel lover- pretending to be ligit!
When will people realize our president is a traitor? He is giving all these billions of dollars to the enemy, and doesn’t care about the United States of America
This Muslim, Socialist, Traitor in the White House deserves the death penalty like any other traitor! I hope Trump gets him!
Billions to a nation who wishes USA dead, but zero for our military men and women and open borders!.
Treason? Aiding the enemy!
Did the REPUBLICAN controlled House of Representatives authorize this $100 BILLION dollar expenditure, since they have control of the ‘power of the purse’??????
Keep your hair on Don – Congress has no control over this money since it is NOT an expenditure. The UN has held the money in trust during the years of sanctions. The actual amount is more like $55 billion and its release is scheduled over many years. A goodly proportion of that will return to the US in purchasing everything from generators to washing machines …. but only if our manufacturers move their backsides to actually sell !
Why doesn’t that hypocrite give all that money to the poor?
Biggest foreign policy blunder in American history! Iran will get the bomb plus $150 billion to kill more Americans anywhere they can!
I have been trying for several years to find out what it takes to be charged with treason. No one connected to Washington has responded so I guess there is no such a crime anymore or everyone I contacted is brain dead.
Do you have a clue? There was a time, 65 years ago, when I joined the Marines that if you gave aid and comfort to the enemy, that was treason. Today you do that and half the children in Washington sings praises.
The government we have today begs to be overthrown. It is disgusting with the corruption gone wild and our dysfunctional Congress doing nothing. To me, they are my enemy.
There are many honorable people in Washington. Unfortunately, most of the time, they are forced to stand by and watch much that has happened there. They understand that if they get “too far out of line” they will be eliminated– one way or another.
IMO, Israel needs to keep a close eye on electrical power consumption at “secret” enrichment sites. In event of any suspicious increase, demand immediate access to the site(s), or disrupt their power supply by bombing/sabotage.
I say Israel because Obama couldn’t be relied upon to actually take such action.
You all are just making the point about the political ineptness. talking about the breakdown of sanctions, the lack of concern regarding Israel, the “plan” behind O Bumble real strategy. All of this is making Trump look more capable!
The privately owned Federal Reserve Bank is making over 100 million dollars a day in interest charging the US interest to lease the US dollar to it’s own people. We the United States need to take that power back. If you want to get to the bottom of corruption and who is in charge of the bad decisions being forced on the American people always follow the money …
I SAY LET THE HONEST BE PRESIDENT IN US ONLY
THAT THE MOTHER AND FATHER ARE BOARN HERE IN USA ONLY
Then Trump would be out – his momma was born in bonnie Scotland !
say good bye to the planet guys if IRAN GETS THE N BOMB we are all a target, they have no respect for life sending young men and women and children to the deaths with bombs strapped to there bodies anyone who can chop peoples heads off are really insane. why cant the west see what is happening september 11 was enough if they get the N BOMB its goodbye to a a normal life,
..
Patricia – It’s easy to mistake Iranians for Al-qaeda and the thousands of other groups in the mid-east who DO wear suicide vests, but they’re not the same. However, in the past the Iranian government has supplied Hezbollah and other groups. The nuclear deal will hopefully reduce their incentive for this kind of mischief in the future as they experience the consumer benefits of rejoining the modern world.
Iran never had any intention of getting the bomb. It was a ploy so that they would have a bargaining chip in order to get the sanctions lifted. Iran is the only nation in MENA with good long-term prospects. The Saudis and Israelis both know that. That is where the opposition to normalization of relations comes from. The others are vastly overpopulated and lack resources to feed themselves. Only oil wealth enabled their high populations. Iran has not started a war in over 200 years and they won’t start now.
That is a very good point W H Martin. After all, the Iranians invented chess and this is a pretty nifty move !
If this country is going to continue to survive, it has to be more friendly to the Jews and Israel. All regimes from ancient Egypt through modern history collapsed; because, they mistreated the Jews. That is the problem with the US now. The US has lately been turning against the Jews and Israel. This is especially notable during the Obama administration. The God of Abraham , Isaac and Jacob is merciful and gave all the past civilization a certain amount of time to change their ways. If they do not change their ways sooner or later G-D will pull the rug out from under their feet and give the world to more Jew-friendly powers. ” I will bless those who bless my people and curse those who curse my people too” (Genesis 12:3)
T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) who single handedly liberated the Arabs from Ottoman rule believed that Israel would become the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the middle east. As the economies in the region migrate away from oil, there is a chance that this can still happen, with Israel providing the template for these emerging economies. However, Israel has its own issues with racism against the very people with whom they share an identical genetic profile … the Palestinians. But surely close adherence to he Bible would also surely provide relief to those same Palestinians, who although no longer religiously ‘Jewish’ are certainly so by blood and DNA.
We got what we voted for. Ain’t democracy grand? Unfortunately, the piper will be paid.
obama giving iran one hundred billion tax dollars…..he is a run away trojan horse that needs to be stopped in his tracks and make him pay back the tax dollars, charged with treason. He apparently wants to bankrupt america and finance/free giveaway the making of a bomb to target america. Has all our leaders (congress) turned against america and want to cause destruction and war on our own soil by letting this power happy traidor president boldly in our face do these destruction things to our america? All who love america must ban together now before we become another benghaza setup. If you have not seen this movie, you should. It made me sick to know this could happen here in america sooner than you think. Note: this is not a hate speech, but the talk of war declared on america.
Iran has so much oil and they claim to need nuclear power. WTF for?
I can only think of one thing when they’re chanting death to America and death to Israel.
Obama will go down in history as worst president ever