Wednesday, September 16, 2015 • page 7
News
Cheat Sheet: Iran Nuclear Deal
News Briefs
PHOTO COURTESY OF TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry meet with a group of veterans and Gold Star Mothers — mothers
who have lost children in combat — to discuss the Iran Nuclear deal in the Roosevelt Room of the White House Sept. 10.
The new Iran nuclear agreement,
composed by President Barack
Obama, would lift international
sanctions against Iran in exchange
for a halt to their nuclear program
and could begin to be implemented
by the end of this month, thanks to
recent backing by Senate Democrats.
The deal automatically takes ef
fect Thursday, giving opponents in
Congress little time to push for leg
islation to end the agreement.
But the deal is one of Obama’s
most significant pieces of legisla
tion of his presidency. Its future in
relation to the United States could
change with the next president. Sev
eral Republican presidential can
didates oppose the deal, including
Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, who
both appeared at a “Stop the Iran
Nuclear Deal” rally Sept. 9.
The finer details of the agreement
remain a hot-button topic for presi
dential candidates, and the debate is
expected to continue well into elec
tion season.
U.S.-Iran Relations
The United States began impos
ing oil and gas-related sanctions on
Iran after the Iranian Revolution of
1979, which marked the overthrow
of Western-supported Mohammad
Reza Shah Pahlavi regime and sub
sequent replacement with Ayatol
lah Ruhollah Khomeini’s Islamic
republic. The sanctions expanded in
1995 to include firms dealing with
Iran and in 2006 after Iran refused
to suspend its uranium enrichment
program.
The United States has spearhead
ed the effort for continued enforce
ment of the sanctions, which the ma
jority of Western governments have
followed. The primary argument for
the sanctions is the West’s fear of
Iran developing a nuclear weapon,
which a lack of restrictions would
make easier for Iran to carry out.
The tide began to turn at the be
ginning of Obama’s presidency, when
a senior U.S. diplomat met one-on-
one with a top nuclear negotiator
for Iran. In 2013, Iranian President
Hassan Rouhani and Obama spoke
by telephone, leading Obama to say
he believed Iran and the U.S. could
reach a solution.
After extended discussions be
tween Iran and six world powers —
the United States, France, Germany,
Great Britain, Russia and China
— the framework of a nuclear deal
was announced this April. A more
comprehensive, official version was
announced in July.
Specifics of the deal
The deal focuses on Iran’s capabil
ity to create a nuclear weapon and
the ability of Western countries to
keep an eye on its weapon produc
tion. Under the agreement, Iran can
not build a nuclear weapon and must
allow inspections by Western coun
tries for the next 15 years. In return,
the United States lifts its previous
sanctions.
Iran must limit its uranium en
richment to 3.67 percent (below
weapons grade), eliminate 98 per
cent of its uranium stockpile and
cut its number of centrifuges, which
assist in uranium enrichment, by
two-thirds. Iran must also give the
International Atomic Energy Agen
cy (IAEA) more access to its nuclear
sites.
In return, the United Nations will
lift Iran’s arms embargo within five
years, unfreeze Iran assets in foreign
banks and lift international trade
sanctions. The deal provides no fixed
time for the sanctions relief, which
would give Iran incentive to comply.
What’s next?
The UN Security Council’s unan
imous endorsement of the nucle
ar deal in July made the agreement
enforceable under international law.
Once the IAEA verifies Iran’s com
pliance to the deal, the UN will be
gin to lift the sanctions.
The United States’backing of the
deal was dependent upon a third of
the House and Senate to approve
Obama’s agreement. Senate Dem
ocrats blocked a Sept. 10 resolu
tion led by House Republicans that
would force Obama to veto the leg
islation.
Sept. 8
LARCENY
EAST COLLEGE AVE,
ELON:
Two Elon University students
were arrested for felony breaking
and entering, misdemeanor iar-
ceny, possessing stolen goods
and injury to personal property
after damage to a Volkswagen
Beetle was reported on the after
noon of Sept. 8. The car’s wind
shield was broken, and a large
cushion and small ottoman chair
were stolen from the inside.
Sept. 10
LARCENY
WEST HAGGARD AVE,
ELON: One "sidewalk closed”
sign and two detour signs from
Samet Corporation were report
ed as stolen from the new Park
Place construction site Thursday
afternoon.
Sept. 12
HARRASSMENT
ORANGE DRIVE, ELON:
A woman reported to Town of
Elon Police Department Satur
day night that a man had been
calling her phone constantly and
banging on her door asking for
money. She hired the man over
the summer to mow her lawn,
but she said he had been coming
to her house asking for advance
ments in his payments. The man
fled from her residence after she
threatened to call the police. He
left the area before he was able
to be located, police reports said.
Sept. 13
ATTEMPTED BURGLARY
WEST LEBANON AVE,
ELON: A man reported Sunday
morning he woke up and heard
people talking in his living room.
After they left, he searched the
apartment and said no items
were missing. Another resident in
the same complex said someone
tried to get into his apartment
through the front door around
the same time. No suspects
have been identified, according
to police reports.
SPDC to host Job
and Internship Expo
Sept. 22
The Job and Internship Expo, hosted
by the Student Professional Development
Center, will take place 2-5:30 p.m. Tuesday,
Sept. 22 in Alumni Gym. The expo allows
students to meet with a variety of organiza
tions and discuss internship and job oppor
tunities. Through the expo, students will also
able to see what immediate opportunities
are available for on-campus internships and
jobs. Business casual or professional attire is
required, and no RSVP is necessary for at
tendance
Sidewalk on West
Haggard closed
Recent construction on West Haggard
Avenue has rendered the adjacent sidewalk
hazardous for pedestrian use. The sidewalk,
located in front of Park Place, is closed from
Skids Restaurant to Manning Avenue. Elon
University Campus Safety and Police said
people should avoid walking by the con
struction site, and signs have been posted to
alert pedestrians of the closed sidewalk.
Beetle population
threatens trees
A statewide beetle quarantine was issued
by Steve Troxler, North Carolina agriculture
commissioner. Sept. 10 because of an inva
sive beetle that kills trees by planting larvae
that burrow through the trunk. The quar
antine means the beetle — the emerald ash
borer — cannot be taken anywhere outside
of the “quarantine border.” The emerald ash
borer, found across the United States, is re
sponsible for the death of millions of trees
since 2002. Fourteen other states have insti
tuted their own quarantines. Trees are cur
rently being treated for damage done by the
beetle.
Sewer upgrades close
hiking trail
The hiking trail at the Guilford Mack
intosh Park closed Friday, Sept. 11 and will
remain closed until further notice, accord
ing to the Burlington Recreation and Parks
Department. Work related to the upgrades
of the sewer system caused the closure to
the trail is the only one in the area closed
as a result of sewer improvements. Guilford
Mackintosh Park and Marina will remain
open during regular hours.
Professor fatally
shot at Delta State
University
A history professor was shot and killed
in his office at Delta State University Sept.
14 in Cleveland, Mississippi. Another em
ployee at the universtiy is a suspect in the
shooting, according to CNN reports. The
university was on lockdown after the shoot
ing as police worked to clear buildings on
campus, reports said.