The new York Times –
President Trump is expected to announce next week whether he will withdraw certification of the nuclear deal with Iran that was negotiated by the Obama administration. The Washington Post reported Thursday that he is planning to decertify the deal. The Times editorial board has long argued that is wrong-headed, and will ultimately prove to be a step that antagonizes Iran, a major regional power, and leads to the proliferation of nuclear weapons around the world.
Here’s why:
It ignores that the deal is working. The deal was intended to keep Iran from producing a nuclear weapon, a crucial and necessary goal. Critics ignore the fact that the deal is doing that, as the International Atomic Energy Agency, which rigorously monitors Iran’s activities, and even Mr. Trump’s own State Department have certified.
It would alienate our allies and make a bad situation with North Korea even worse. If America withdraws from the agreement, it will outrage the other major powers that are party to the deal — France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China — and give Iran an excuse to resume a full-blown nuclear program. Why Mr. Trump would risk that when North Korea’s program is a full-time concern is a mystery.
It sends the wrong message to Iran, and that’s dangerous. As it has been with other foreign policy issues, the Trump administration’s approach to Iran has been full of mixed messages. Yet amid the confusion, there has been an ominous tendency to demonize Iran and misrepresent the threat it presents. This could lead to an unnecessary and risky confrontation.
It doesn’t help in the fight against the Islamic State. The fear is that Mr. Trump’s demonizing of Iran, and his unwillingness to engage its government, could result in a broadening of the American military mission from defeating ISIS to preventing Iranian influence from expanding. This would be dangerous. Iran is a vexing state to be smartly managed, not assumed to be an implacable enemy.
It ignores the complexity of the region. In some ways Iran is an easy political target. Sunni Arabs feel threatened by Iran and are competing with Iran for regional influence. Israel detests Iran and so do many members of Congress. Yet to see Iran as implacably hostile is much too simple. Even as Mr. Trump reaffirmed America’s partnership with the conservative Saudi royals, Iranians were re-electing a moderate, Hassan Rouhani, as president and reaffirming their interest in engagement with the West. The Saudi human rights record is no better than Iran’s.
It undermines trust in America and the country’s ability to negotiate in the future. At a crucial moment, Donald Trump is forcing the world to confront core questions it really shouldn’t have to ask: Can he be trusted? And, more saliently, can America be trusted? His threats to jettison the Iran nuclear deal are undermining America’s credibility as a negotiating partner and weakening America’s ability to lead the free world as it has for 70 years.
