US should rejoin JCPOA if it really fears a nuclear Iran
The prospect of a nuclearized Middle East underscores the need for more diplomacy, not less
Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, which not only failed but made the world an objectively less safe place. These European leaders presented an astute assessment of the situation and really couldn’t have said it better when it comes to Biden’s policies. The fact is that Biden’s unwillingness to negotiate political differences with Tehran, either adopting a compromise or presenting an alternative, is not a viable policy. It is dangerous and irresponsible.
First of all, the United States might not be as well-equipped to engage in a hot war with Iran as it pretends to be, given the current global security situation.
The US is already involved in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, mobilizing a significant amount of its military production for weapon supplies to that theater. It is also actively involved in stoking tensions in the Asia-pacific region. Already a major concern of US military strategists has been avoiding a “two-front war” involving Russia and China, never mind a three-front war now involving Iran. The conflict in Ukraine actually serves as a case in point for why the US should de-escalate with Iran. Prior to Russia’s “special military operation,” the US promised a powerful, unrelenting response to any incursion into Ukraine by Moscow. Those words were hollow – and it has sent a clear message, as have other events around the world, that the US is a fundamentally unreliable partner on security issues. The fact is that the US is simply not prepared for the consequences of its dangerous escalations. Second of all, the US is politically isolated on this matter with only Israel truly on its side. Europe clearly understands that a nuclear arms race in the Middle East is a direct threat to its security and has the potential for serious spillover. This is why Europe has been leading on the JCPOA issue ever since the US withdrew and has been hosting negotiations. European leaders have routinely urged the US to rejoin under Biden – calls which have regrettably been ignored.
The rest of the world, i.e the actual international community, is very clearly on the side of de-escalation and against nuclear proliferation. Anything which could further these preferences would be seen as desirable, meaning Washington’s unwillingness to come to the table is clearly resented by the international community. White House officials must come to their senses on the JCPOA, get to the negotiating table and come to an agreeable solution with Tehran. The timeframe of a few weeks presented by White House press secretary Jen Psaki may serve as a suitable deadline to get this done as quickly as possible. Doing so would not only help improve a destabilized global security situation that arguably makes nuclear proliferation a legitimate national defense strategy for countries under “maximum pressure” but would also serve to improve America’s reputation around the world. Failure to do so would mean further deterioration of global security and more resentment against Washington for understandable reasons.
Bradley Blankenship is an American journalist, columnist and political commentator. He has a syndicated column at CGTN and is a freelance reporter for international news agencies including Xinhua News Agency.