(Foreign Affairs) Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin and Ebtesam al-Ketbi - For the U.S. to simply return to the 2015 nuclear agreement would be a major strategic blunder. The deal was based on assumptions that proved flawed and overly optimistic. The accord did not tame Iran's policies, empower moderates in Tehran, pave a path to a good-faith relationship with Iran allowing for further cooperation, or "block all of Iran's pathways to a nuclear weapon." A future Iran policy must counter Iran's malign regional activities and resist the temptation to try to game Iran's political dynamics. At the same time, it should allow for a more intrusive inspections regime and more restrictive and longer-lasting constraints on Iran's nuclear program. Returning to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is highly risky, especially given the approaching "sunsets" on nuclear restrictions. Hope is not a strategy. Amos Yadlin is executive director of Israel's Institute for National Security Studies and former head of IDF military intelligence. Ebtesam al-Ketbi is president of the Emirates Policy Center.
2021-01-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive