Iran deal “a roll of the dice,” Florida expert says

Florida Republicans from Marco Rubio to Ron DeSantis have been quick to denounce the Iran nuclear deal President Barack Obama’s White House struck this week.

The rhetoric has been colorful, with DeSantis calling the agreement “a gift to the Ayatollah.” Rubio’s take: “This deal undermines our national security.”

Sunshine State Democrats, of course, had a different view, although DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz did allow that top donors are “pensive” about the pact.

A more measured take can be found by speaking with Ambassador Marilyn McAfee, a retired career foreign service officer who spent several years in Tehran.

“This agreement was not intended to solve all the problems,” said McAfee during an appearance on WJCT’s First Coast Connect.

“And President Obama was careful to give that caveat. This narrows the scope. In that narrower scope there is still criticism that it doesn’t cover enough, and that it’s not going to be that enforceable. I think there really is no place for trust in this agreement, or between the two countries,” she said.

On the other hand, McAfee was quick to stress that her sense of the Iranian street is that it’s a young, moderate population, pro-America and eager to engage with the West.

“I was in Iran recently and the sense I picked up was that they would like to be a part of this new, globalized world. They no longer want to be pariahs, they want to be proud of their country and they want peace. Many Iranians are now very young. So many of them were not even alive when the hostage-taking occurred. So their sense of belonging to the global community is very important to them.”

However: “Will this result in any change in the way Iran conducts its business? You have to look at who is in charge. That is the Ayatollah Khomeini. He’s in his late 70s but will be succeeded by another ayatollah.”

“The concern comes from the threat that side of Iran poses, which is the right wing of Iran. Their export of terrorism- none of that was under negotiation, and there’s no reason to assume that will change. It’s a roll of the dice.”