Going through

Moniz on Iran: The deal is going through

By Nick Gass

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has a message for opponents of the nuclear deal with Iran: It's happening. And the next president would foolish to rip it up, he added.

“No, the deal is going through and frankly I think it will stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon," he told Stephen Colbert during an interview on "The Late Show." "That’s its objective.”

Several members of the audience applauded, while Colbert asked how long it would stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

"By the way, 'stopping a nuclear weapon' got three people clapping," the host cracked. "Which is great. It means we're not — it means we're not worried about it. But how will it stop them?"

Moniz then explained the details of the inspection regime, including the 24-day window between requesting an inspection and one taking place — a provision that Republicans and other critics of the deal say gives Iran a chance to cover up its activities.

"Can't they clean everything up and say, 'Sure, you can come in now, there's nothing here'?" Colbert asked. "That's what people who are afraid of this deal are saying. How is that wrong."

"There have been allusions to throwing drugs down the toilet. It doesn't work that way with nuclear material," Moniz said, to laughter and applause.

On presidential candidates who have vowed to tear up the deal on their first day in the White House, Colbert asked, "Have you thought about printing it on Kevlar so they can't do that?"

"The next president could certainly withdraw from the deal. It's a political arrangement, basically," Moniz explained. "However, we believe that a year and a half from now, the merits of the deal are likely to be very, very clear and it would certainly be a foolish step, to be perfectly honest."

Donald Trump, who has said that he would not tear up the deal immediately but would work to get a better agreement, also appeared on Colbert's show Tuesday night, leaving Moniz with an autographed copy of his 1987 bestseller, "The Art of the Deal."

"To Ernest, better luck next time," Moniz said, in reading Trump's inscription.

"That's a collector's item," Colbert remarked.

"Do you happen to have a copy of the Iran deal that I could sign?" Moniz asked.

Colbert's response: "No, I believe you'll have to get that from the State Department."