Imperfect nuclear deal with Iran is better than no deal at all

REPORTS from Washington suggest that the negotiations between the P5+1 group (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany) and Iran over the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme are headed towards a deal under which Teheran would agree to restrictions on its capacity to develop a nuclear bomb. In return, the West would agree to gradually lift the economic sanctions imposed on Iran.

Critics of the Obama administration, including Israel and Saudi Arabia as well as many members of US Congress, are concerned that under the agreement, Iran would be allowed to retain thousands of enrichment centrifuges and that the restrictions on the nuclear programme would be time-limited, permitting Iran to enrich enough uranium and provide it with a likely path to a nuclear bomb.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing US President Barack Obama of giving up on his commitment to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, has gone around the White House in his efforts to challenge the evolving deal. He accepted an invitation from the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, to address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. The move undermined a long-time tradition of bipartisanship in US-Israel relationship, and could make it more difficult for Jerusalem to mobilise support from Democrats for its position on Iran.