As the Trump administration pursues new diplomatic efforts with Iran, it is incumbent upon special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and others not only to ensure the destruction of Tehran’s nuclear program, but also to address policies that have enabled Iran to continue its development of fissile material in violation of international agreements since 2003.
Critics of Trump’s approach will be quick to cite the president’s termination of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, arguing that Tehran was complying with the terms of the deal and would be in a weakened state today if the agreement had remained in place. But as I outlined in detail here in 2019, the JCPOA contained various loopholes that allowed Iran to cheat the entire time.
The sheer fecklessness of this agreement from the Obama administration (coupled with Joe Biden’s easing of Trump-era sanctions and unfreezing of Iranian assets) provided Tehran with critical time and money for uranium enrichment as well as funding for its terrorist proxies against Israel. The cold-blooded murders of Jewish men, women, and children on October 7, 2023 underscore the consequences of submitting to…
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