LET THAT SINK IN …
Let’s go ahead and file this under “Stuff a Lame Duck President Announces Late on a Friday.” In fact that was our alternate headline for this story …
Anyway, U.S. president Barack Obama‘s Department of Energy (DOE) is confirming its intention to purchase $8.6 million worth of heavy water from Iran. It will store this material – all 32 metric tons of it – at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee prior to attempting to resell it on the commercial market.
Heavy water is used in nuclear reactors – which Iran is permitted to continue operating per the terms of last year’s deal with the Obama administration.
“The United States will not be Iran’s customer forever,” the agency said in a statement. “It is exclusively Iran’s responsibility to find a way to meet its commitments, whether that is by selling, diluting or disposing of future stocks of heavy water to remain within the (deal’s) limit.”
Mmmm-kay …
U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan blasted the DOE decision, referring to it as “another unprecedented concession to the world’s leading state-sponsor of terrorism.”
Of course Ryan was among those duped into surrendering Congress’ power to stop the Iran nuclear deal … so take his criticism with a grain of salt.
Same with any other lawmaker who complains …
But yeah … America is basically subsidizing Iran’s nuclear program now.