The deal Iran needs to make

Re “Rescuing the Iran nuclear deal,” editorial, April 6

The Times Editorial Board’s endorsement of a U.S. return to the Iran nuclear deal is justified with qualification.

First, Iran must resolve what the International Atomic Energy Agency calls in its February evaluation the regime’s “unsatisfactory” and “not technically credible” explanations of “uranium conversion activities,” as well as “undeclared nuclear material and nuclear related activities” at three locations that the regime has attempted to “sanitize.”

In other words, Iran must reveal and eliminate all suspect activity.

Second, any renewal of the nuclear deal must eliminate the sunset clause that allows Iran to resume enrichment beyond the 3.67% uranium-235 purity threshold beginning January 2031.

Failure to do so would permit Iran to approach a weapons material breakout capacity. Bennett Ramberg

Los Angeles The writer was a foreign affairs officer in the State Department Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs in the George H.W. Bush administration.

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Thank you for the excellent editorial. I would like to add one clarification.

The editorial correctly states that after former President Trump withdrew the United States from the nuclear deal, Iran began pulling out of its commitments. However, Iran maintained its compliance for a full year after Trump pulled out.

When the Iranians began to gradually exceed the uranium enrichment beyond the agreed limit, they said the purpose was to put pressure on Europe to find ways around Trump’s embargo. Iran also said the moves could easily be reversed.

Nevertheless, the longer it takes to return to the agreement, the more difficult that reversal will probably become. Both sides need to move quickly to full compliance.

Patrick Bonner