IPT Shillman Fellow Pete Hoekstra and Amb. James Woolsey break down the Iran nuclear agreement

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Berliner: The nuclear pact struck with Iran is being dissected, torn apart, ripped into, applauded and vilified all in the same breath. But as we focus in to the military aspect of it all and what the Obama administration has wrought, let us consider a question few are thinking to ask, speaking directly to every person watching us now. Let's get some answers in. With the former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and former congressman Pete Hoekstra. And former Director of Central Intelligence and Undersecretary of the Navy, Ambassador Robert James Woolsey. Ambassador, let me begin with you with that simple question. Here's the average American sitting here looking on the other side of the world. There is Iran, a country that we have known for decades is one that we simply cannot trust. Why should the average American be so concerned today with this deal struck by the Obama administration?

Woolsey: Because this deal could make things worse. For example there's over $100 billion stored up as a result of the sanctions, trade that didn't occur and so on, and Iran gets a major share - over $100 billion I think – if the sanctions are now taken off. And being the leading supporter of terrorism in the world that means more and more money to Hamas, to Hezbollah, to the Houthis in Yemen and so forth to support terrorism by the Iranians. I think it's really also extremely dangerous to have this agreement that does not really limit nuclear weapons operate in such a way as it will, as to encourage other Arab countries in the area – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey – to move toward having nuclear weapons because they aren't gonna want just the Iranians to have them. So next crisis you have in the Middle East ten years or so out you could have four or five states involved and three or four of them having nuclear weapons. That's not a recipe for world peace and it will certainly directly and indirectly affect us over here as well.

Berliner: So Pete let me get to you, really the same question, a different aspect then. Can the American people then take from what has happened in Iran with the Obama administration, this world is still more dangerous than it could have been, there is still a greater chance that a nuclear conflagration in the Middle East, and there is the possibility Pete that you, as someone who knows this, can look Americans in the eye and say we are now much more at risk and more Americans and people that we know, our allies, can die because of what happened here in this deal?

Hoekstra: Absolutely. I think Ambassador Woolsey number one hi the most important issue. Within the last 30 days this President has identified Iran a a state sponsor of terrorism. We're now going to be opening the floodgates of up to $150 billion going to this sponsor of state terrorism. That's the number one thing we need to be worried about. Number two, it's not a very good deal. We know what a good deal looks like. A good deal was what we got with Libya where Muammar Qaddafi not only entered into an agreement with us but allowed our Secretary of Energy, Spence Abraham, and the United States government to come into Libya, pack up their centrifuges, take their materials for nuclear enrichment out of the country and ship them to the United States –

Berliner: But Pete, hang on one second, before you go. Third, we have it right here from the President, 'This is not built on trust; it is built on verification.' He has said flat out don't worry about it, we can check, we can find out, anybody that tells you different is lying to you. That basically, not word for word, but that comes from the President.

Hoekstra: And thank you for the beautiful lead-in to point number three. You'll see that the agreement or the verbiage from Secretary Kerry and the President is very clear. We will have 24/7 access to declared facilities. In my life on the Hill I've learned that words meant a lot, and the word here you have to look at is 'declared facilities.' I don't care about declared facilities. When I was on the Intelligence Committee working with the CIA and the intelligence community we weren't worried about the facilities we knew about in Iran; we were worried about the facilities we didn't know about. And if there's any of those kinds of issues undeclared, unknown facilities that we may become aware of, you gotta go to a committee to do any kind of investigation of those types of sites –

Berliner: That could take years and cost countless lives by the time that gets done.

Hoekstra: Absolutely.

Berliner: Thirty seconds Ambassador Woolsey then. Do we need to then consider that right now there are members of the mullahs, the Iranian government, that is sitting there quite frankly laughing, saying we stuck one over on the Americans, thank God for a gullible President?

Woolsey: I think they are very pleased with themselves and it wasn't really any particular skill on their part. We were negotiating against ourselves and we defeated ourselves.

Berliner: I think that probably might be best put. Pete do you agree with that, it's not necessarily their skill but our mistakes?

Hoekstra: Absolutely. We did the same thing with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and in Libya.

Berliner: There we go. And now we're going to maybe have to pay for this as well. Congressman Pete Hoekstra, Ambassador Robert James Woolsey, I want to thank you both for being here today. Gentlemen I'm certain we're going to talk again.

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