So a bunch of politicians (mostly Republican) are sure they understand the nitty gritty of the Iran deal and can out-think six major countries and a whole slew of US nuclear physicists. Believe that, and I’ve got a bridge to sell you. Let’s check with somebody who might actually know something.

Efraim Halevy, a former head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, said the deal forced Iran to accept an “unprecedented” system of inspections.

“Anyone who has followed events in Iran in recent decades or has studied the matter has to admit truthfully that he never believed Iran would ever agree to discuss these issues, let alone agree to” some of the deal’s terms, he wrote in the Yediot Ahronot daily.

Ami Ayalon, a former head of the Shin Bet internal security service, has called the deal “the best option.”

Defense specialist Amir Oren wrote in Haaretz, “There are those in the Intelligence Corps, including those in the research division dealing with Iran, who have a very positive view of the nuclear agreement.”

Significantly, in its recent long-term assessment, the Israeli military did not include a nuclear Iran among the country’s most pressing threats, focusing instead on Iranian-backed proxies along Israel’s borders.