Fundamentally, it seems irrational to leave an agreement that’s working today out of a fixation on potential growth of Iran’s nuclear program more than a decade from now, when such growth could happen tomorrow if we unravel the agreement.
As the U.S. and Iran find themselves on opposing sides of conflicts across the region, the Trump administration will decide in the coming weeks if they will recertify the Iran nuclear deal.
Concern over ballistic missiles should not be the impetus for withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. Ballistic missiles were intentionally left out of the deal because of the lack of international consensus.
Elliott Abrams addresses the nuclear deal with Iran and how the Iranian-Israeli rivalry might impact the Middle East.
The smart way to get tough on Iran would be to commit to the nuclear deal, enforce it to the hilt, and work with global partners on a long-term strategy to deal with Iran’s challenge.
A regular survey of experts on matters relating to Middle Eastern and North African politics and security.
Increased tensions between the United States and Iran over the last couple days, along with U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls to end the Iran Nuclear Deal, could put Iran on the same path as North Korea as an imminent threat potentially needing military consideration.
India’s traditionally neutral position in the Middle East has ended with the landmark Israel visit. The future balancing of India’s westward pivot will be determined by a new regional order led assertively be Saudi Arabia, and one which sees Iran as enemy number one.
The Saudi-Iran rivalry for preeminence in the Middle East is more likely to escalate rather than deescalate in the coming years.
The administration needs to come up with a sensible strategy to confront Iran where it challenges core U.S. interests. But playing around with a nuclear agreement is both irresponsible and dangerous.