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Secy. of State Kerry Defends Terms of Iran Deal; Israeli Government Reacts to Iran Nuclear Deal; World Powers and Iran Reach Nuclear Deal. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired July 14, 2015 - 07:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[07:30:10] JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: And Iran will not build a new heavy water reactor or reprocess fuel from its existing reactors for at least 15 years. But this agreement is not only about what happens to Iran's declared facilities. The deal we have reached also gives us the greatest assurance that we have had that Iran will not pursue a weapon covertly.

Not only will inspectors be able to access Iran's declared facilities daily, but they will also have access to the entire supply chain that supports Iran's nuclear program from start to finish, from uranium mines to centrifuge manufacturing and operation.

So, what this means is, in fact, that to be able to have a covert path, Iran would actually need far more than one covert facility. It would need an entire covert supply chain in order to feed into that site and to ensure that that does not happen without our knowledge, under this deal, inspectors would be able to gain access to any location the IAEA and the majority of the P5+1 nations deem suspicious.

It is no secret that the IAEA also has had long standing questions about the possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program. That is one of the primary reasons that we are even here today. And we and our partners have made clear throughout the negotiations that Iran would need to satisfy the IAEA on this as part of the final deal.

With that in mind, Iran and the IAEA have already entered into an agreement on the process to address all of the IAEA's outstanding questions within three months and doing so is a fundamental requirement for sanctions relief that Iran seeks. And Director Amano announced earlier this morning that that agreement has been signed.

Now, -- our quarrel has never been with the Iranian people. And we realize how deeply the nuclear related sanctions affected the lives of Iranians. Thanks to the agreement reached today that will begin to change.

In return for the dramatic changes that Iran has accepted for its nuclear program, the international community will be lifting the nuclear related sanctions on Iran's economy. And the relief from sanctions will only start when Tehran has met its key initial nuclear commitments.

For example, when it has removed the core from the Iraq reactor. When it has dismantled the centrifuges that it has agreed to dismantle. When it is shipped out, the enriched uranium that it has agreed to ship out. When these and other commitments are met, the sanctions relief will then begin to be implemented in phases.

The reason for that is simple, confidence is never built overnight. It has to be developed over time. And this morning, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif expressed his hope that this agreement could be a beginning of a change of the interactions between Iran and the international community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: We have been listening there to Secretary of State John Kerry spell out what he has been working on these past many weeks and months. He made a joke. This is the first time he's worn shoes in six weeks because he's been working around the clock and he's been injured.

And he spelled out in detail what we can now expect from this deal. Both he and the president said this is not only a good deal, it's the best deal they could have got.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: And a show both of his authority and the American commitment to this process. He was there all of these last critical 18 days. Even on Iran's chief negotiator kept going back and forth to Tehran either for guidance or for other business.

But what he has been clearly doing here is somewhat of an echo of what we heard from President Obama which was laying out how many things will be changed in the favor of reducing Iran's ability, not just to make a nuclear weapon, but to make enriched uranium at all and that there wasn't a better alternative.

CAMEROTA: So we will be spelling out all of the details for you in one moment because the nuclear agreement with Iran has now happened, if you are just joining us.

[07:35:08] Not everyone, of course, is in favor of this deal. So we will have the very first reaction from the Israeli government for you right after this break.

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CUOMO: We have heard from President Obama. We have heard from Iran's president Hassan Rouhani. We have heard from the head of the EU in terms of these negotiations. But not everybody is out singing the praises of this deal.

In fact, America's biggest ally in the Middle East, Israel, is feeling betrayed and says that this deal is certainly historic, but has been a mistake.

Let's get that perspective right now. We have Naftali Bennett. He is a minister in the Netanyahu government.

Mr. Bennett, thank you for being with us. Your reaction?

NAFTALI BENNETT, ISRAEL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION: Thank you.

This deal is a mistake of historic proportions. Effectively, it paves the way for Iran to become a terror nuclear superpower. It's a matter of time. It might not happen tomorrow, but it will happen.

What we are doing, in effect, we are going to be funneling, the world is going to be funneling half a trillion dollars, $500 billion to the world's biggest exporter of terror. It is going to legitimize Iran's quest for nuclear power. And, in effect, all the promises that we have heard over the past year, that embargo would not be lifted. Well, the embargo is lifted on missiles. Albeit five years down.

[07:40:00] We have heard that there was going to be anytime, anywhere sanctions. Now we know that it's not anytime, anywhere sanctions. And we know that when West wants to inspect something, it will have to be a very cumbersome process that will give enough time for Iran to hide its activities. So this is a terrible deal. And we hope that it's still, you know, the small chance of it being finalized and approved will not happen. But in any case, Israel is prepared for any eventuality.

CUOMO: In terms of what is being offered as virtuous of this deal, to counteract your concerns is, one, the current condition, which is that Iran has been able to create this impressive framework and structure for making enriched uranium and weapons under sanctions.

So they did this under sanctions which seem to suggest that the sanctions weren't getting the job done. Is there really a better alternative in place?

BENNETT: Absolutely. We were just at the point where the sanctions were becoming crippling. Iran was sort of on the floor, if you think of a boxing match and the referee was counting down from ten to one. And at the very last moment, the west came up and helped Iran on its legs.

We have to understand, Iran's goal was not to acquire a nuclear weapon today. Its goal was to acquire a nuclear weapon tomorrow, down the road. They had a choice of either having a good economy or going down the nuclear weapon route. And now they can get both.

And as long as the sanctions were in place, they would never have broken out. They don't want to do that, because they know what would happen to Iran. And how are we going to be seeing hundreds of billions of dollars flowing into Iran so they can strengthen Hezbollah and Hamas and terror attacks of Islamic republic around the world.

You know, there's only two states in the world that send deployed troops in measurable scales abroad, that's America in the quest of freedom and Iran in the quest of terror. And now, they were on the floor. We basically lifted them up and we are saying take the money. And down the road, you can also have a bomb. CUOMO: What happens if the Iranian parliament okays this deal and the U.S. congress, as you well know, they're really only have the leverage of not removing the sanctions that congress itself has in place. They are not going to be able to kill this deal, you know, on its face. If it goes through and it becomes active, what will Israel do?

BENNETT: Well, the world is becoming a new place. This is a new era, a new dark and sinister era for the world.

We have to understand this. In 20 years down, if nuclear bomb explodes in London or New York, we'll know that we can trace it down to July 14th, 2015.

Israel always said that we will prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. And we will still do that. We stand behind these words. We are preparing for everything we need to do in order to defend ourselves.

CUOMO: What does that mean, though? You know that the inspections are in place. And that's the best mechanism you have for checking what they do in Iran. What could Israel do that is not part of this deal to keep Iran from getting a bomb?

BENNETT: Well, first of all, we are not giving up and hopefully stemming the relief of the sanctions because that's been the single thing that has been effective over the past 15 years. These sanctions finally were hurting, especially the financial system related sanctions and we still hope they will not be relieved. On other dimensions of what we might do, I certainly don't intend to share plans with Iran.

CUOMO: All right, Mr. Bennett, thank you very much for giving us a voice from the Israeli government in terms of why you do not see this as a good deal. We will see how the conversation continues.

I appreciate you being on CNN and NEW DAY.

Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: OK, Chris.

We have much more ahead of this breaking news of the Iranian nuclear deal. Does it legitimize Iran's support of terror as we just heard from Israel? Or is it a needed step forward with this regional power? We'll get a perspective from one of our top Middle East expert. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:48:23] CAMEROTA: We do have breaking news this morning.

Major world powers agreeing to a nuclear deal with Iran. President Obama speaking moments ago saying the deal will keep the world safer. But the Israelis saying the deal is a disaster. So which one is it?

Joining us now is Aaron David Miller. He is vice president for new initiatives and a distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center.

Aaron, great to see you this morning.

So we've just heard how pleased the president sounds, Secretary Kerry sounds, even the president of Iran sounds. What do you think of this deal?

AARON DAVID MILLER, DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR, WOODROW WILSON INTERNATIONAL: Well, I have spun my fair share of good and bad agreements. I mean, I understand exactly what's happening.

Let me just make a few basic points, Alisyn. Whether you are a friend or a foe of this agreement, one reality is clear that for four decades, our policy toward Iran has been one of containment and confrontation.

You now have some kind of paradigm shift with a default position now will be cooperation. This agreement is going to, because of its complexity, because of the degree of cooperation that it imposes. U.S. and Iran are going to be cooperating imminently in an effort to implement this agreement. That's the point number one.

(CROSSTALK)

CAMEROTA: And you think that's a good thing?

MILLER: Well, I think it's a new thing, all right?

Number two, this is neither, this deal is neither the historic catastrophe that its critics portray, nor is it the historic transformation that I think was implicit in some of the president's and Kerry's remarks. This is essentially a transaction. It's a business deal.

In exchange for lifting billions of dollars in sanctions and hanging an open for business sign in Tehran, the United States will get a slower, smaller, more transparent, more easily constrained Iranian nuclear program probably for the next decade.

[07:50:10] But this is not a disarmament agreement. It's an arms control agreement. I would argue on balance the most even though the president got a lot, I think the mullahs did one better. Because in exchange for a weapon they don't have and a decision they haven't even made to develop a nuclear weapon, you're going to empower the mullahcracy in Tehran with billions of dollars of sanctions relief and still leave them five years, ten years out with enough of a residual nuclear infrastructure should they choose to either sneak out, break out in an effort to weaponize.

So yes, we kicked the can down the road. We diffused a crisis, but we certainly have not capped or put an end to Iranian punitive Iranian nuclear weapon aspirations.

And if you add to the fact that this money, even though the price of oil will drop dramatically...

CAMEROTA: Yes, as it is.

MILLER: ...a dollar in Tehran doesn't buy as much as it bought a decade ago. Life is relative. They're going to have plenty of money to spread around to their supporters, outside Hezbollah, Houthis in Yemen, unless the character of the regime somehow begins to alter at home.

And remember, they're holding four Americans without any justification or cause. And if they begin to cooperate with us in the region, then I think the Obamacare review of this will gain more credibility.

CAMEROTA: Well, let me tell you what the president said. What the high points of this deal and he made a compelling case when he came out and spoke. And you can tell us what bothers you about these.

He said, inspectors will have 24/7 access to Iran's key nuclear facilities. He also said they'll get rid of 98 percent of their enriched uranium stockpile, which by the way, currently could produce 10 nuclear weapons. The stockpile limitation will last for 15 years. Sanctions relief with Iran will not be immediate. It will phase in. And if Iran violates the deal, all sanctions will snap back into place.

Which ones do you take issue with?

MILLER: I suppose that all of them if implemented and if the verification is intrusive. But already, and again, this is going to be a problem for Congress.

We've moved from anytime, anywhere inspections to where necessary. That change in language and the process and the committee that has been set up to deal with this issue is going to become problematic.

Look, I'm not arguing that this deal is a catastrophe. All I'm suggesting is we have to be real about what it is we've done. We are going to get a slower, smaller, more constrained Iranian nuclear power. But I suspect, over time, you're also going to get a richer, bolder Iran with more influence in the region.

And at the end of the day, Alisyn -- and I guess, this was simply impossible, you're still going to be left with enough of a large nuclear infrastructure that should Iran want to weaponize, they will have the capacity to do so. So, again, we've kicked it down the road. We diffused a crisis, but we've by no means closed the file on the Iranian nuclear.

CAMEROTA: And what about those 4 Americans who are being held? Is there any indication that they were brought up during these negotiations.

MILLER: I think they were. I'm hoping, although, once someone said that the tooth fairy didn't exist, I no longer believe in new days and transformations. I was hoping that as a part of this deal that quiet negotiations have now been in train in order to set the terms for the release of these four. And that at a certain decent interval, the Iranians, whatever justification or pretext that they used would in fact let them go. My sense, though, since this deal was designed not to liberalize the revolution but to consolidate it, that it may be quite a while before these four come home.

CAMEROTA: All right. Aaron David Miller, you are always a wonderful reality check. Thanks so much for being on it.

MILLER: Always a pleasure.

CAMEROTA: We'll talk to you soon.

A history made in Vienna. World powers finally ironing out the nuclear deal with Iran this morning. So we will take you live to Vienna for all the latest on the deal and reaction.

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[07:58:28] CUOMO: To our viewers in the U.S. and around the world, welcome. You are watching NEW DAY. There's high praise and anger in response to this landmark nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers.

It is a major diplomatic achievement on some level. Certainly for President Obama who says the deal is built not on trust, but on verification, and cuts off every path for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

CAMEROTA: Now, on the flip side, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls it a historic mistake for the world.

And of course the devil is in the details. Congress will look at those. They'll have 60 days to review this deal. So we have this story covered from every angle the way only CNN can, starting with Nic Robertson.

He's live in Vienna.

Tell us how it came together, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the details, though, beginning to emerge now. We know that there's going to be wide-ranging 24/7 access for the inspectors that will be verifying this deal that Iran has agreed to.

There will be a 98 percent reduction in the low-enriched uranium. That brings their totals down from 12,000 kilograms to just 300 kilograms. These limitations on those stockpiles will last for 15 years.

The sanctions relief that Iran has wanted what it gets for agreeing to this deal, those elements of sanctions relief will be phased in over a period of time depending on their compliance, depending on an implementation date. And the ability is there for the sanctions to snap back on if Iran doesn't comply. And there is a commission set up to make sure that that happens in a swift and timely fashion.

It is worth expanding just a little bit on this notion of 24/7 access. The idea that inspectors can go to whichever sides they so desire in Iran.