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The Folly of Removing Sanctions on Iran's Ballistic Missiles
(National Interest) Behnam Ben Taleblu - UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which enshrines the Iran nuclear agreement, stipulates that restrictions on Iran's ballistic missiles will expire eight years after the deal's implementation. This expiration date is a strategic blunder. This will allow Iran to reinforce its deterrent capacity and to redouble the offensive threat it poses to the region. Iran has become home to the largest and most diverse ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East. The more confident Iran feels that its inventory will deter retaliatory strikes, the more likely it is to engage in conflict by proxy throughout the region. Concessions on the missile issue were directly against the advice of Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff: "Under no circumstances should we relieve pressure on Iran relative to ballistic missile capabilities and arms trafficking." The negotiators' overriding commitment to curb - even if just temporarily - Iran's ability to build nuclear weapons led them to concede on the very means by which those weapons could ultimately be delivered. The writer is an Iran research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.