In the 47 years since Iran was taken over by radical Islamic fundamentalists, it has been a source of terror around the world. The regime slaughters its own people, launches unprovoked terrorist attacks against Israel, disseminates anti-American and antisemitic propaganda, and murders American citizens. For much of these 47 years, the American government feared direct confrontation and deterred itself from responding, allowing Iran to grow ever stronger.
The Trump administration changed that, to the celebration of many who feared Iran’s eventual possession of a nuclear weapon. Now, the administration is messaging that our campaign is at its conclusion but has not yet given the concrete terms of the arrangement. At The Vandenberg Coalition, we try not to add to the speculative noise. So instead, as we await (and join the chorus of voices demanding) the release of the terms, I will simply share a quick lesson from my time in the first Trump administration.
As some may know, prior to The Vandenberg Coalition, I was part of a small team within the first Trump administration tasked with investigating the JCPOA and identifying its successes and failures. Ultimately, this work, and the deeper work done by far more senior administration officials than I, would bring me to the IAEA in Vienna and result in the decision by the United States to leave the JCPOA. Boiled down to its core, three truths motivated the president’s decision: that the Iranian regime would not give up its nuclear ambitions; that the Iranian regime could not be trusted to adhere to its agreements; and that any access to financial resources would only embolden its ambitions and increase its survivability.
Here’s the thing about truths: they remain unchanging. It is our urgent hope that this administration, which has done so much to weaken the Iranian threat already, does not now snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and pursue the very same strategy, led by Presidents Obama and Biden, that led to the need for Operations Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury in the first place. We must continue to recognize these truths and pursue a policy that reflects them.
