THE SIMPLEST EXPLANATION OF THE IRAN DEAL YOU’LL FIND

The 109-page Iran deal is filled with complicated details about how the Persian nation must limit its stockpiles of uranium and plutonium in order to secure sanction relief from the west. We explain it in 60 seconds, using Legos.

The West — specifically the United States, the U.K., Russia, China, Germany and France — has long suspected that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons and has imposed tough economic sanctions to pressure the Iranian government to abandon this pursuit. This lego wall represents those sanctions, which have significantly isolated Iran and brought it to the negotiating table.

 

Under the agreement announced on Tuesday, Iran must dramatically reduce its nuclear materials — such that it doesn’t have the uranium and plutonium necessary to make a weapon. (For instance, it will reduce the number of uranium centrifuges from 19,000 to just 5,060 and limit the enrichment of uranium to just 3.67% — a purity of 90% is necessary to make a weapon.) International inspectors will verify that Iran is complying with these terms. Then, the sanction wall will begin to crumble.

If Iran doesn’t live up to the agreement, the inspectors will alert the West and the world will build the wall back up. For sanctions to be reinstated, five out of the eight negotiating parties must agree, thus preventing China or Russia from vetoing the snapback of sanctions.

Critics argue that an empowered Iran could destabilize the Middle East and finance terror groups. The world, including the U.S., will certainly have to formulate a policy to counteract any nefarious activities — but if the deal works, that threat won’t include a nuclear weapon.