Talks with Iran to succeed if four paths to nuclear weapons capability are blocked - US

WASHINGTON, March 2 (KUNA) -- Negotiations with Iran will be resolved once they have succeeded in essentially shutting down four pathways to Iran acquiring the fissile material necessary to build a nuclear weapon, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said on Monday.
The first is to deal with the enrichment capacity at the Natanz facility; the second is to deal with the enrichment capacity at the Fordow facility; the third is to deal with the plutonium-enrichment capacity at the heavy-water reactor under construction at Arak; and the fourth is to ensure that Iran does not have the capacity to pursue a covert option at a facility not yet known to the international community, Earnest said during a briefing.
"And at each stage, we are going to set back Iran's progress on a nuclear weapon, and that means essentially extending -- if we are successful in this effort, and a diplomatic agreement will not be signed unless we are -- the (nuclear) breakout period to one year," he said. "And we have already heard from experts who have said that the current breakout period is only two or three months." With the successful completion of the agreement, it would roll back Iran's nuclear program in a way that would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, then put in place international monitors for an extended period of time to ensure that the Iranians are complying with the agreement, Earnest said.
President Barack Obama has repeatedly stated that if the Iranians "indicate that they are not willing to comply with an agreement, once one is signed, then we continue to have all of these options on the table," Earnest said. "We can add additional sanctions to the mix if we feel like that would be successful. We will even have a military option that continues to be available to the President." The pursuit of the agreement "is one that does not foreclose additional steps in the future if necessary if Iran fails to live up to the agreement," Earnest said. "And unfortunately what we have seen from critics of this agreement is a refusal to offer up any sort of alternative, other than the military option. And that, I think, is an important part of the President's consideration as he formulates this strategy and this policy." (end) rm.bs