I don't think that China and Russia, at the moment, are going to support or even allow a decision to impose meaningful political or economic sanctions against Iran to go through. And that's not necessarily because Russia and China have a strong economic relationship with Iran, but because they fear, I believe, the rapid escalation of this crisis.

For Iran, nuclear technology is a source of national pride and a demonstration of its political and technological independence from its former colonial masters, This is much more complicated than a simple economic and energy calculation.

It's not going to come out the same way it went in.

What seems rather fanciful about this project is that the fuel-supply aspect appears contingent on proving some highly advanced technology. They're using this as a way to sell reprocessing technology rather than as a way to solve the problem of fuel supply, and that's troubling.

This is the first salvo. China could be next in trying to propose a similar loophole for Pakistan.

The bottom line is that this deal would allow India to significantly increase its nuclear weapons arsenal and provides precious little safeguarding. This is a nonproliferation nothing-burger, and Congress will see it as that if they look carefully.

This is a highly complex deal and on balance it is not in the national security interests of the US. It will damage the nuclear non proliferation regime.

They say, 'we're within the treaty, we're within our rights'.