Will Trump negotiate an Iran nuclear deal?
News Overview: Trump sets two-month deadline for Iran to negotiate a nuclear deal
The Islamic Republic of Iran is imminently close to developing a nuclear weapon. In February, Trump sent a letter to Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini setting a two-month timer for the Islamic Republic to make a deal to end their nuclear weapons development.
While Trump made clear that a diplomatic solution is preferred, the U.S. is positioning bombers within striking distance of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Why Iran Shouldn’t Obtain Nuclear Weapons
- The Islamic Republic of Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism. If Iran were to obtain a nuclear weapon, its proxies, such as Hamas and the Houthis, could act under a nuclear umbrella.
- The proliferation of nuclear weapons is a major threat to international stability. The more actors with nuclear weapons, the more dangerous our world becomes.
- If Iran were to become a nuclear-armed power, it would trigger an arms race in the Middle East, with other powers such as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states looking to acquire a weapon.
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How the Islamic Republic of Iran Threatens Peace
The Islamic Republic of Iran is an extremist Shiite Theocracy that came to power during Iran’s 1979 Revolution. The party instituted a fundamentalist and violent Islamic government with Ayatollah Khamenei as Supreme Leader.
The regime brutally enforces a strict interpretation of Sharia law, imprisoning, torturing, and executing dissidents.
The regime seeks to export its radical revolution across the Middle East to achieve regional dominance. Because it lacks the conventional capabilities to realize its goals, the regime relies on attrition and chaos through its network of terror proxies to destabilize regional powers.
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Understanding Maximum Pressure on Iran
In his first term, Trump instituted a maximum pressure policy against Iran. This approach combines harsh economic sanctions and military action to deter Iran from its malign activity.
For example, the 2020 assassination of Qassem Soleimani, an Iranian general responsible for Iran’s terror proxies, paused Iranian attacks against U.S. targets for multiple months.
Maximum pressure deviates from decades of U.S. policy that emphasized pure diplomacy, handouts, and ignoring Iranian aggression, which proved ineffective in altering the regime’s behavior. The Islamic Republic exerts such control over its people that it can weather short-term consequences, such as economic hardship, for its long-term goals.
The maximum pressure approach seeks to make Iran’s aggression so costly that the Islamic Republic must reverse course.