Since the United States employed the policy of maximum pressure and left the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action “JPCOA,” the theocratic regime ruling Iran been inhabiting an increasingly weakened position. The goal of the Trump administration has been to achieve a better agreement with Iran in light of the JPCOA’s significant shortcomings. The strategy is to increase all available types of diplomatic pressure on the authoritarian regime. This increased pressure is hoped to push the Iranian regime into making a choice between its own survival and ending its nuclear ambitions, imperialistic aggression, and widespread human rights abuses.
The JPCOA was a treaty complete with fatal errors. Instead of aiming to stop Iran’s path to acquiring nuclear weapons, the treaty provided a path to achieving nuclear capability following a limited period of prohibition on nuclear development. If the JPCOA deal was maintained, Iran would have the potential to emerge with nuclear capabilities by 2025, with a full-scale nuclear problem, according to nuclear non-proliferation researchers. The Iranian regime already possesses the capability to deliver nuclear weapons using ballistic missiles. 'The JPCOA also perpetuated a fictional idea hoping that by providing the regime with large amounts of cash and integrating Iran into the global economy, Iran would abandon its nuclear ambitions. This same strategy of integration into the global economy failed in achieving related goals with the Chinese Communist Party and Russian authoritarian leader Vladimir Putin in the past. There continues to be a sentiment that this strategy would be effective for nuclear deterrence, according to leaders in global foreign policy. Proponents of economic seduction believe that providing large quantities of cash combined with global economic integration will help deter nuclear ambitions and foreign aggression. The strategy of giving the Iranian regime billions of dollars seemed like a poor fit for a theocracy promoting terrorism abroad and the murder of American citizens. The influx of cash to Iran did almost nothing to transform Iran’s leaders into better global citizens or improve a significant record of human rights abuses. The Trump administration has broken long-held norms held by Washington in the realm of foreign policy, according to Washington-based foreign policy experts at FDD. The administration initiated sanctions against entire sections of the Iranian government, such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC was designated as a foreign terrorist organization. This included sanctions against the highest levels of Iranian leadership and were “firsts” as foreign policy initiatives from Washington. Despite the success of the maximum pressure campaign, a Biden presidency may not continue to support this strategy. In order for the sanctions to have their intended effect, Tehran should not be offered any sanctions relief. Discontent for the Iranian regime has been growing inside Iran. Broad protests have increased in frequency. The regime, in turn, has responded with increased violence. With the combination of internal dissent, economic failing, and international pressure, leading foreign policy think tanks have indicated the regime is currently situated in a weakened position. Continued pressure will likely have its intended effect of bringing the Iranian leadership to come to terms and halting their dangerous ambitions. Comments are closed.
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AuthorExpert on the Iran Nuclear Deal and Global Threat Network Archives
October 2018
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