US should ensure Iran ends its nuclear programme

US President Donald Trump called the Iran nuclear deal flawed during the campaign last year. He promised to scrap the pact Tehran signed with eight nations two years ago to roll back its weapons programme in return for lifting of economic sanctions. That’s not happening now that he is president. And why are we not surprised as we get used to policy flip flops seven months into this administration? Unpredictability has been Trump’s trait. A characteristic that has kept both his acolytes and foes on their toes. It’s been hard to read him. No one knows which way the pendulum will swing from the White House. It’s not presidential, say Trump’s critics. But the president can do as he pleases, believes Trump. You say one thing, mean something else, and act differently when the time comes to take a decision — which has often taken everyone by surprise. Secure in this belief, he stuck to his campaign promise of walking out of the Paris climate pact, and his critics expected him to dump the Iran deal too, especially after he railed against Tehran during his visit to Saudi Arabia in May. He called Iran the biggest threat to the stability of the Middle East, and he was right for once.

Now that he has not followed through on that threat, we are uncertain about what he’ll do next. The truth is this. Iran has been a long-standing problem for its Gulf allies with its policy of interference in the region. The nuclear deal may have delayed (not shelved) Tehran’s plans to go atomic, but the regime is still going ballistic with its conventional military capabilities. Lifting of economic sanctions meant it came in from the cold and could do business with the world while being the source of most of the Middle East’s security woes. Its sectarian hand is seen behind conflicts in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Russia and China are its partners in a new axis as the US disengages from the region. Trump sticking with the nuclear pact is not enough to keep Iran in check. A robust mechanism must be put in place to ensure its nuclear and conventional military ambitions are put to rest and not just delayed as envisaged in the 2015 pact.