re: Netanyahu Defies Trump's Order not to Strike Iran

Asking them to lay off was ignorant anyway and just showing weakness before an enemy that can spot weakness from a mile away. In this situation Trump can either lead, follow, or get out of the way. Right now Trump is doing none of the above. It’s time to pick a coarse of action besides negotiation. We have got absolutely nowhere negotiating with Iran in years. We got nowhere negotiating with them before the war or the past couple of months. If negotiating with Iran was going to produce fruit then it would have done so long ago. If all the military and economic pressure they have faced the past few months has not forced them into setting with the US by now then it isn’t going to happen at all and we need to change course from negotiating and do something that either will produce positive results or just simply come home and get out of the Israelis way and let them finish this. All we are doing is making everything worse by insisting on negotiating some fantasyland deal.

Good. Let them get this over with already.

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Ok genius, what specific legal conditions permit this?

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Try reading. I'm not your teacher.

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You're good with the Israelis deliberately sabotaging any negotiations we are engaged in?

What the hell is wrong with some of you?

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Iran is never going to agree to our terms. Negotiations have been supposedly going on for what two months now and were no closer to an agreement than we were at the start. This whole ordeal has been a giant cluster frick of epic proportions.

Because you were spouting lied.

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No, it is not broadly illegal under U.S. law for the United States to provide foreign or military aid to states that possess nuclear weapons and have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), though the legality depends heavily on executive determinations and specific legislative waivers. [1, 2]

While there are strict domestic statutes intended to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, U.S. law contains built-in legal workarounds, exceptions, and presidential waiver authorities that allow aid to flow to non-NPT nuclear states under certain conditions. [1, 2]

Key U.S. Nonproliferation Laws and Waivers

Several provisions within the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act regulate how the U.S. can deliver aid to nuclear-armed countries: [1, 2, 3]

The Symington Amendment (22 U.S.C. § 2799aa): This law bans U.S. economic and military assistance to any country that delivers or receives nuclear enrichment equipment or technology outside of international safeguards. However, the President can waive this restriction if they certify to Congress that terminating aid would seriously damage vital U.S. security interests.The Glenn Amendment (22 U.S.C. § 2799aa-1): This statute mandates severe sanctions—including a cutoff of foreign aid, military financing, and export licenses—against any non-nuclear-weapon state that detonates a nuclear explosive device. Congress has previously amended this law or granted specific authorities to allow the executive branch to bypass these restrictions when geopolitically necessary.Material Breach Restraints (22 U.S.C. § 2753(f)): The law blocks defense sales or leases to nations that materially breach nonproliferation commitments to the U.S.. However, this requires a formal determination by the President. If the executive branch avoids making an official declaration regarding a nation's unsafeguarded nuclear status, the legal triggers to halt aid are never activated.Real-World Applications and ScenariosBecause these domestic laws hinge on presidential declarations and national security exceptions, the U.S. has legally maintained aid to non-signatory nuclear powers through different mechanisms:The Case of Israel: Israel has never signed the NPT and maintains a policy of "nuclear opacity," neither confirming nor denying its nuclear arsenal. Because no U.S. president has ever made an official, formal determination that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, the statutory bans on foreign aid have never been legally triggered, allowing multi-billion dollar aid packages to continue.The Case of Pakistan: Following Pakistan's open nuclear weapons tests in 1998, the Glenn Amendment's mandatory aid cutoffs were initially triggered. However, following the September 11 attacks, the U.S. Congress passed legislation allowing the President to waive those nonproliferation sanctions, legally restoring billions of dollars in military and economic assistance.The Case of India: India is also a non-signatory to the NPT. Rather than bypassing restrictions through yearly waivers, the U.S. negotiated the landmark U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Agreement, which effectively adjusted export controls to allow civilian nuclear cooperation and aid while recognizing India's de facto nuclear status.What About International Law?Under international treaties like the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), providing any form of assistance or financing to a state engaged in nuclear weapons activities is strictly illegal. However, the United States is not a party to the TPNW and has actively opposed it, meaning the U.S. is not legally bound by its terms.Under the NPT (which the U.S. has signed), the restriction is more narrow: Article I only prohibits the U.S. from assisting a non-nuclear state in manufacturing or acquiring a nuclear weapon. It does not universally ban general diplomatic, economic, or conventional military aid to nations outside the agreement.

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You can highlight and search for the text to answer any further questions.

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No, it is not broadly illegal under U.S. law for the United States to provide foreign or military aid to states that possess nuclear weapons and have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), though the legality depends heavily on executive determinations and specific legislative waivers. [1, 2]

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What the hell is "Broadly Illegal"? That is the opening line of your entire argument. Can you tell me what that means?

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Netanyahu is fricking with the bull.

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Who, Trump? The “we have a great deal almost signed” guy who has repeated it every day for two months now while Iran bombs the Middle East and commercial ships?

Your own answer is exactly what he's saying. We have to pretend Israel doesn't have nuclear weapons because it's illegal to give them aid if we recognize them.

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it's illegal to give them aid if we recognize them.

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Not absolutely. Obviously lawyers for ragheads have argued this and lost.

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I'm good with it.

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Then go fight for it.