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Tony Abbott welcomes Iran nuclear deal – with great caution Tony Abbott welcomes Iran nuclear deal – with great caution
(about 3 hours later)
Tony Abbott has given the Iran nuclear deal a cautious welcome – with a heavy emphasis on the caution.Tony Abbott has given the Iran nuclear deal a cautious welcome – with a heavy emphasis on the caution.
Related: Iran nuclear deal reached in ViennaRelated: Iran nuclear deal reached in Vienna
Australia’s prime minister told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday that Australia wanted a nuclear free Middle East, but he was cautious about the agreement struck between Tehran and the US overnight.Australia’s prime minister told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday that Australia wanted a nuclear free Middle East, but he was cautious about the agreement struck between Tehran and the US overnight.
“Look, we give it a cautious welcome but I probably should stress the caution at least as much as the welcome,” Abbott said.“Look, we give it a cautious welcome but I probably should stress the caution at least as much as the welcome,” Abbott said.
“Yes, we certainly want a nuclear-free Middle East. The Middle East is the most unstable and dangerous part of the world. If any country in the Middle East were to get nuclear weapons that would be a horrifying escalation of tension,” he said.“Yes, we certainly want a nuclear-free Middle East. The Middle East is the most unstable and dangerous part of the world. If any country in the Middle East were to get nuclear weapons that would be a horrifying escalation of tension,” he said.
“The last place we would want to see a nuclear arms race is the Middle East and if any further country gets nuclear weapons I suspect there will be a lot of other countries rushing for them.”“The last place we would want to see a nuclear arms race is the Middle East and if any further country gets nuclear weapons I suspect there will be a lot of other countries rushing for them.”
“So my hope is that this is a stop, an absolute stop to Iran getting nuclear weapons, rather than just a delay.”“So my hope is that this is a stop, an absolute stop to Iran getting nuclear weapons, rather than just a delay.”
The deal – in which Iran will dismantle its nuclear infrastructure in exchange for a gradual lifting of sanctions – has been hailed as a landmark in world affairs.The deal – in which Iran will dismantle its nuclear infrastructure in exchange for a gradual lifting of sanctions – has been hailed as a landmark in world affairs.
Related: Iran nuclear deal: the winners and losersRelated: Iran nuclear deal: the winners and losers
But the agreement has powerful Republican opponents in the US Congress, and among some Republican presidential hopefuls. Australia’s foreign minister, Julie Bishop, was more enthusiastic than the prime minister in her remarks on Wednesday.
Bishop told Sky News the agreement would “essentially constrain” Iran’s nuclear program for a decade or more.
“What it has done is [bring] Iran into the international regime of inspections of nuclear programs, and that is a good thing,” Bishop said.
The agreement has powerful Republican opponents in the US Congress, and among some Republican presidential hopefuls. Bishop said she understood the concern among Republicans but said: “I think we have to give this comprehensive plan a chance.”
“At least there is time for international inspections to take place and for the program to be verified, and that’s the point,” the foreign minister said.
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has also expressed strong opposition to the agreement hammered out between US president Barack Obama and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani.The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has also expressed strong opposition to the agreement hammered out between US president Barack Obama and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani.
Netanyahu characterised the agreement as a “bad mistake of historic proportions”.Netanyahu characterised the agreement as a “bad mistake of historic proportions”.