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Source: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/what-the-u-s-has-accomplished-in-iran-60b21e52?mod=opinion_lead_pos5
What the U.S. Has Accomplished in Iran
(Wall Street Journal) Condoleezza Rice - The war against Iran has been a limited war, but it has achieved enough to produce a far better Middle East. The three-month military campaign degraded Iran's ability to project power by significantly damaging its conventional forces, missile stockpiles and proxies. It set back Iranian nuclear ambitions significantly. It will be a long time before Iran can build a viable nuclear weapon. It also drew America, Israel and the Arab states closer together through defense cooperation and intelligence sharing. Israel responded furiously to the terrorist attack of Oct. 7, 2023, and pummeled Iranian proxies, including Hizbullah and Hamas, that threaten its population. Many Arab regimes no longer question Israel's legitimacy; instead, they seek the benefits of technological and economic cooperation with Israel. Iran is far weaker today than it was in February. No amount of Iranian propaganda can mask this reality. America's near-term goals should be to keep it in that weakened state and to make certain that President Trump's promise that Iran will never possess a nuclear weapon is fulfilled. Once the Strait of Hormuz is opened, if the administration engages in nuclear negotiations, it's critical that not a single penny of frozen assets or sanctions relief should go to Tehran. Under the 2015 deal, Iran used the money to rebuild its capabilities and those of its proxies. It would do so again. The U.S. must maintain military readiness in the region and the will to attack again if the Iranians begin to rebuild their nuclear infrastructure or missile capabilities. Strategic patience is hard, but time is on the side of the U.S. and its allies. Reaching no deal is fine. Reaching a bad deal isn't. The writer, director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution, served as U.S. Secretary of State (2005-09).