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Iran's Quest for Regional Superpower Status Is the Major Threat to U.S. Interests in the Middle East
(Wall Street Journal) Walter Russell Mead - The major threat to U.S. interests in the Middle East is Iran's quest for regional superpower status based on its nuclear program and support for militias and terrorists. America needs oil to flow freely to world markets, the terror threat to stay contained, Israel to remain safe, and for no single power to be able to dominate the Middle East. Iran's drive for regional primacy threatens all of these. Since 2013, when the talks between the Obama administration and Iran became public, the question of how to manage Tehran's regional and nuclear ambitions has been the most contentious foreign policy issue in U.S. politics. Critics of the Obama approach were right that a weak stance toward Iran creates incentives for aggressive policy in Tehran while driving Israel and its Arab allies toward desperate measures. And Trump critics are right that too rigid an American posture could make the option of an attempted nuclear breakout irresistible to Iran. Given President Biden's determination to return to some form of the JCPOA, guardedly pursuing negotiations with Tehran while mending fences with allies and strengthening the Arab-Israeli coalition is the most hopeful feasible course. Washington is unlikely to transform Iran into a peaceful and friendly state. Yet focused and determined American policy - aligned with key local allies - can and will frustrate Iranian attempts to overturn the current regional order. The writer, a fellow in strategy and statesmanship at Hudson Institute, is Professor of Foreign Affairs and Humanities at Bard College.