Iran Agrees to Steps to Ease Tensions over Nuclear Issue
BLITZER: Iran says it's agreed to take more steps by the spring to ease international tension over its nuclear program. The statement was issued along with the International Atomic Energy Agency and set a May dead deadline. Joining us now, CNN's newest Middle East analyst, Michael Oren, who is the former Israeli ambassador to the United States, now at the Atlantic Council in Washington, ambassador in residence; also Marwan Muasher, the former Jordanian foreign minister and vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment. He's also the author of a brand- new book, "The Second Arab Awakening and the Battle for Pluralism." Good to have both of you with me here on CNN today. I'll start with you, Mr. Foreign Minister, since you were a foreign minister. He was only an ambassador.</s>MARWAN MUASHER, CNN MIDEAST ANALYST: I think it is, Wolf. I think a war in the Middle East will serve nobody's interest. And in addition, it is not going to stop the Iranian nuclear program. So if a good political agreement is to be done, I think that's the best course.</s>BLITZER: Is the U.S. doing the right thing?</s>MICHAEL OREN, CNN MIDEAST ANALYST: Good to be with you, Wolf. Good to be with Marwan, too. Well, I think Israel has some serious concerns, not only Israeli has concerns, but Saudi, gulf -- Saudi Arabia, gulf countries, are concerned that this interim agreement leaves Iran with enough nuclear material for four bombs. It leaves its missile program intact. There's no inspections of the military sites where they could actually be building a bomb. It's leaving intact facilities that have no peaceful purposes, other than to make a bomb. And so people are very nervous about it. And they want to know --</s>BLITZER: So you disagree with this strategy?</s>OREN: I think we have serious -- I think Israel and other Middle Eastern countries are pretty</s>BLITZER: Because in your book, you write this, "The Arab world will be devastated if the United States should decide to conduct a military strike against Iran."</s>MUASHER: I think so. First of all, we don't know the terms of the agreement.</s>BLITZER: Yes.</s>MUASHER: This is still an interim agreement. Second of all, I don't think the war will be the answer precisely because, on one hand, it will not stop the Iranian nuclear program. On the other hand, it will create a whole -- open a Pandora's Box in the Mideast. So I think a political strategy, a strategy to pursue a political settlement is the rest.</s>BLITZER: Give peace a chance. That's the theme the administration is suggesting. What's wrong with that?</s>OREN: There's nothing wrong with it. The question is, will it bring about peace? One of the paradoxes of having --</s>BLITZER: -- make a point, they can turn the sanctions immediately back on.</s>OREN: That's a question to be seen. The Iranian oil industry is rebounding, going up quite strongly, because the word has gone out that the sanctions are being eased rather than ratcheted up. One of the paradoxes of a credible military threat is that the more credible it is, the less chance you actually have to use it. The Iranians have to, internally, believe that if they proceed along the road to nuclearization, the United States will stop them.</s>BLITZER: Let's talk about Syria. Jordan has a huge problem, all the hundreds of thousands of refugees who have come into Jordan from Syria. But the U.S. Homeland Security secretary, Jay Johnson, he said the other day that -- and I'm quoting him -- "Syria has become a matter of homeland security for the United States." Because all of the potential terrorists being trained in Syria right now could come to Europe or the United States and commit acts of terrorism here. How big of a problem do you see this?</s>MUASHER: It is a big problem on many levels. On a security level, the refugee situation is truly unsustainable, not just for Jordan but for Lebanon and some of the other countries. The sectarian divide between the Sunnis and the Shiites threatens to affect the whole region. So in many ways, the continuation --</s>BLITZER: What should the U.S. do?</s>MUASHER: I'm not sure much can be done. Obviously, there's not going to -- there is no appetite among the public to interfere. Bashar Assad cannot rule over all of Syria. The opposition cannot win. And nobody wants to interfere. I'm afraid we are going to keep in this bloody stalemate --</s>BLITZER: They will continue with all the wrenching consequences. Is there anything the U.S. can do to stop this?</s>OREN: I think the humanitarian aid. Shoring up Jordan, which has been inundated with refugees. And trying to ease as much as possible the suffering of the Syrian people, which we all feel.</s>BLITZER: There is a debate under way even as we speak right now, and it's coming to a head in Washington. Should the U.S. engage in what they call drone targeting killings, drone strikes? Obviously they are going to go after suspected terrorists. But if the suspected terrorist is a U.S. citizen, should they target that person in U.S. or Pakistan or Somalia or some place, and go ahead and kill that person suspected of plotting terrorism against the United States? What do you think?</s>OREN: Probably getting in all sorts of trouble with all sorts of elements within American society. But I say America has to do what it has to do to defend itself. That's the responsibility of the people who sit in the capital building in the White House.</s>BLITZER: -- kill American citizens?</s>OREN: If the person -- if a bank robber is in a bank holding hostages, he's an American citizen, too, and the police will do whatever they can to capture him. But if they can't, they will do whatever they can to prevent him from killing innocent hostages. I think the situation is pretty analogous.</s>MUASHER: I think it's interesting you ask the question from a foreigner. But in general, I would say that, in this country, people are innocent until proven guilty. The drone policy has resulted in a lot of innocent civilians being killed and not just suspected terrorists. As such, I would be against it.</s>BLITZER: Marwan Muasher, Michael Oren, good to have both of you here as our partners on CNN. Thanks very much for joining us.</s>MUASHER: Thank you.</s>BLITZER: There is a new warning for flights heading to the United States. The United States embassy in Guyana is telling Americans not to fly out on Caribbean Airlines for the next two days. The embassy saying they've received what they called "unconfirmed threat information" against the flights. Caribbean Airlines said they are adding extra layers of security for all of its U.S.-bound flights. Coming up, a former gangster crediting a small abandoned puppy for inspiring him to turn his life around. We will tell you about his remarkable journey when we come back.