Executive Director John Tierney did a Q&A with the Organization for Defending Victims of Violence about the Iran deal and the Trump administration’s policy toward Iran.
Q: President Donald Trump abrogated the Iran deal unilaterally with the aim of convincing the Islamic Republic to sign a new deal with the United States. More than a year after the US withdrawal, there are no indications that the Tehran authorities are willing to negotiate with the United States. Has President Trump’s Iran policy hit a dead end?
A: The Trump “policy” with respect to Iran has failed miserably and, unless there is a newfound willingness to engage Iran honestly with expectations on both sides for compromise, there is little expectation that the situation will improve any time soon. The Trump administration withdrew from a solid agreement that created reasonable assurances that Iran would not pursue a nuclear weapons program. The agreement had far-reaching verification and inspection provisions that exceeded any safeguards agreement in the world, and certainly set the ground work for potential negotiation of further matters left unaddressed at the time it was entered.
The Trump “policy” has raised international sympathies for Iran while painting the United States as a country unwilling to stand by its commitments. The imposition of sanctions under the “maximum pressure” campaign is supposed to change Iran’s behavior, not target and punish a country as an end in itself. Further, there is little left for the United States to sanction unilaterally, so it seems President Trump’s policy will not compel Iran to capitulate to the 12 demands Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlined when President Trump first withdrew from the nuclear deal. The result is likely the exact opposite of what Mr. Trump alleges to have been seeking. Read more