Mel Gurtov’s op-ed, “The Iran framework: Obama’s successful engagement,” (May 17), on the Iran negotiations resembles a sports report of a football game where the writer describes the home team’s cheerleaders, its coaches’ attire and the half-time show by its marching band. By the way, the sports report doesn’t mention that the home team lost by 42-0. 

Like that sports report, Gurtov talks about “optics” in the Iran negotiations, about “engaging adversaries,” and about President Obama’s “respectful comments.” He then fails to mention that the negotiations, which were intended to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, have left Iran with a clear path to nuclear weapons, at grave danger to the world, although there may be a slight delay. Iran will even receive immediate release of up to $50 billion with which to fund both its nuclear program and its other efforts to take over the Middle East. 

Like the imaginary sports report, Gurtov writes about all of the trappings of the negotiations but not the result. The result, unless blocked by Congress, is the equivalent to a 42-0 defeat for the United States and the entire free world. 

Mark I. Fishman

President of PRIMER-Connecticut

(Promoting Responsibility in Middle East Reporting)

New Haven