# Nuclear deal with Iran **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 14, 2015, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128 "2015-07-14T11:37:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/201 "2015-07-17T11:18:55Z")
A couple of nights ago I watched Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” show on CNN about his visit to Iran. The people there were incredibly friendly and hospitable. Don’t confuse the average Iranian citizen with their government. The same can be said for a lot of countries, but especially those with less than democratic leaderships. The young people in Iran (and there are lots of them) are very westernized. Women are treated as equals and they all want the same things the rest of us want. I think a lot of us have a distorted view of the people of Iran due to what gets reported in the media, and I’m pretty sure they have a distorted view of the US for the same reasons. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/202 "2015-07-17T12:35:42Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > You know, we could have just given $150 billion to the Kurds and gotten a better result. Oh of course. How could we have missed that. :rolleyes: All it would have cost us is Turkey going down the drain as a NATO ally, their likely movement from secular to Islamic and their intervention in the cesspit that Syria and Iraq have become. And the Turks, if they ever put their minds to it, probably have the economy and the know-how to develop a nuke as fast, if not faster than Iran. So let’s go ahead and give the Kurds (who have been terrorizing…or freedom fighting in Turkey for decades) the means to be a major pain in the Turks behind. There is a bit more to this world, adaher, that just the narrowest of focus. And BTW, on the Golda Meir quote above; Iranians are Persians, not Arabs; a fact that may not be important to you but most assuredly is over there. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/203 "2015-07-17T12:38:52Z")
Never implied that they were Arabs. Just refuting this idea that all families love their children and don’t want them to be cannon fodder. A lot of Israelis have paid with their lives because those kinds of parents exist. OKay, so we’ll sell out the Kurds and the Saudis, but the Turks are too important? You know what doesn’t make sense about that? the Kurds and Saudis are fighting for us. The Turks aren’t. Wow, being a friend of the US is not a good thing in that part of the world, is it? ---
**Author:** ![Hiker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3be4f8/32.png) [@Hiker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hiker)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/204 "2015-07-17T12:44:11Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > the Kurds and Saudis are fighting for us. The Turks aren’t. Somehow I doubt that the Kurds and Saudis would agree that they are fighting for the USA. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/205 "2015-07-17T12:56:02Z")
They are fighting who we want fought. The Iranians are fighting who we want fought, and who we don’t want fought. Much more of a mixed bag. Our two actual most important allies in the region are not too happy. I see where the President is trying to go with this, but much like GWB and Iraq, this is a role of the dice. And just because he isn’t committing 150,000 troops that doesn’t mean it’s any less of a consequential risk. A lot more consequential, actually. If he’s wrong, this one ends with a general Mideast war. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/206 "2015-07-17T13:19:20Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > And just because he isn’t committing 150,000 troops that doesn’t mean it’s any less of a consequential risk. A lot more consequential, actually. If he’s wrong, this one ends with a general Mideast war. Actually, it does mean it’s less of a “consequential risk”. It means we’re not risking 150,000 troops. Even if he’s wrong, it doesn’t mean we have to go to war. And I’m much more worried about us going to war than several poor countries who pose nothing close to an existential risk to us going tow ar. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/207 "2015-07-17T13:34:59Z")
> [@](#): > > …You know, we could have just given $150 billion to the Kurds and gotten a better result… Perhaps you could flesh out some of the details for those of us who do not have your remarkable gifts and penetrating insight. First off, precisely how would that affect Iran’s capacity for nuclear arms development? With all due awe… ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/208 "2015-07-17T13:42:19Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Actually, it does mean it’s less of a “consequential risk”. It means we’re not risking 150,000 troops. Even if he’s wrong, it doesn’t mean we have to go to war. And I’m much more worried about us going to war than several poor countries who pose nothing close to an existential risk to us going tow ar. If that’s how you see it, fine, but I’m sure you can see why some countries in the region feel that we’re taking risks with their security. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/209 "2015-07-17T13:48:14Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Actually, it does mean it’s less of a “consequential risk”. It means we’re not risking 150,000 troops. Even if he’s wrong, it doesn’t mean we have to go to war. And I’m much more worried about us going to war than several poor countries who pose nothing close to an existential risk to us going tow ar. A reasonable point could be made, though, that should the “worst case” scenario come to pass - that is, a general 30-Years-War, Islamic-style, between Sunnis and Shi’ites - the West would get sucked in anyway. The West may, from a realist perspective, care nothing for the lives of folks in the ME, but they surely still care about the impact of a general ME sectarian war on the world’s supply of oil. To be clear, that’s just the worst case. The best case is that the Shi’ite militias, together with non-radical Sunnis of various stripes, crush ISIS like mad dogs and then work out some sort of compromise among themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/210 "2015-07-17T14:37:58Z")
Masoud Barzani, head of the Iraqi Kurds, [has welcomed the Iran deal](http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/150720152). His nephew, Nechervan Barzani - Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraqi Kurdistan - [has done the same thing](http://www.basnews.com/en/news/2015/07/17/pm-barzani-welcomes-iran-west-deal/). The Turks are mostly thrilled - [“great news for the Turkish economy,”](http://www.voanews.com/content/mixed-reactions-in-turkey-about-iran-nuclear-deal/2862966.html) tweeted its economy minister, Mehmet Simsek. Trade between the two countries is expected to double in the next two years. To my knowledge, all of NATO is positive to the deal. All in all, it’s really quite an achievement. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/211 "2015-07-17T14:43:28Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > Masoud Barzani, head of the Iraqi Kurds, [has welcomed the Iran deal](http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/150720152). > > His nephew, Nechervan Barzani - Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraqi Kurdistan - [has done the same thing](http://www.basnews.com/en/news/2015/07/17/pm-barzani-welcomes-iran-west-deal/). Still, I’m sure they’d prefer the $150 billion. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/212 "2015-07-17T14:46:02Z")
> [@Hiker](#): > > I see. That is where we disagree. As long as any creationist or neocon ist making an earnest attempt to have a rational and civil discussion I will be glad to point out to them where I find that they are wrong. Of course, if I feel that all they want to do is preach, I go elsewhere, but then its them, not me who evaded the discussion. I get the feeling that you haven’t talked to too many creationists or neocons. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/213 "2015-07-17T14:55:09Z")
nvm ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/214 "2015-07-17T15:00:22Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > Masoud Barzani, head of the Iraqi Kurds, [has welcomed the Iran deal](http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/150720152). > > His nephew, Nechervan Barzani - Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraqi Kurdistan - [has done the same thing](http://www.basnews.com/en/news/2015/07/17/pm-barzani-welcomes-iran-west-deal/). > > The Turks are mostly thrilled - [“great news for the Turkish economy,”](http://www.voanews.com/content/mixed-reactions-in-turkey-about-iran-nuclear-deal/2862966.html) tweeted its economy minister, Mehmet Simsek. Trade between the two countries is expected to double in the next two years. > > To my knowledge, all of NATO is positive to the deal. > > All in all, it’s really quite an achievement. The Kurds definitely hope the deal will cause Iran to look more kindly on them, both inside and outside of Iran. The Iraqi Kurds would dearly love to see Iran lined up solidly with them against ISIS. If you look around that Kurdish website, you will see that hasn’t always been the case up until now. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/215 "2015-07-17T15:01:16Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > America is a problem that Iran how repeatedly said it would lie to solve by bringing death to all of us. After Israel, of course. And now they have an easier road to acquiring the means to carry out their desires. > > Who knew that Kerry would find a way to further damage the U.S., but find it he did. > > I’m consistently amazed how liberals are so happy to see Israel get fucked. I guess being surrounded but countries that want to erase you from the face of the earth isn’t enough. They chose the site of their nation, it didn’t choose them. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/216 "2015-07-17T15:03:08Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > And some idiots will believe the “proof” then the same way they are so quick to believe Iran now. > > In the meantime, Iran will have benefitted from all that time of having no sanctions and moving their nuclear program forward surreptitiously. By that logic, no deal would ever be sufficient because they could always be moving forward their weapons program serruptitiously (in some huge underground secret military complex I assume), so we might as well just bomb them now. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/217 "2015-07-17T15:48:57Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Still, I’m sure they’d prefer the $150 billion. 😃 > [@Malthus](#): > > If you look around that Kurdish website, you will see that hasn’t always been the case up until now. Which one - Rudaw or Basnews? They’re both Kurdish. FWIW, [Iran was the first country to answer the Kurdish call for arms and ammunition, back in August of 2014](http://time.com/3196580/iran-kurds-isis-erbil-iraq/) - a fact Barzani himself acknowledged at the time: > [@](#): > > “We asked for weapons and Iran was the first country to provide us with weapons and ammunition,” said Kurdish President Massoud Barzani in a press conference. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/218 "2015-07-17T18:01:16Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > What about that time I posted about this old guy following me into the bathroom and taking the next stall even though he could have chosen one farther away? This happened to me once but with urinals at an airport. The bathroom was empty and the guy chose the urinal right next to me. Its not like I had the urinal closest to the door, I was about 4 or 5 urinals in and the guy took the one right next to me, he had to walk by 3 other urinals to get to the one next to me (and he could have gone down a few more urinals because there were probably a dozen or more urinals along the wall. I thought it might have been a cultural thing I was unaware of . ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/219 "2015-07-17T18:11:15Z")
nvm ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128/220 "2015-07-17T18:23:42Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > They are fighting who we want fought. The Iranians are fighting who we want fought, and who we don’t want fought. Much more of a mixed bag. Our two actual most important allies in the region are not too happy. If you mean Israel and Saudi Arabia, why should we **want** them to be happy?! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-deal-with-iran/725128.md?page=12)