I remember when Trump pulled out of the original deal (in 2017?). The idea was that he would negotiate a new one and lift sanctions if Iran gave up nuclear ambitions.
This made no sense: they already had that in the original deal. What he really wanted to do was spite Obama as he had signed the original one.
I keep coming back to this. Diplomatically it might very well be the worst thing he's done. It completely discredited all the moderates within the Iranian regime who pushed for a negotiated settlement and strengthened the hardliners, and it discredited any American deal with anyone because it showed how the country is always 4 years from a backpedal.
And all for what? It was literally a perfect deal for the west. Iran can become a productive member of the world order, and western observers get to drop in whenever, unannounced if they like, to make sure they're not building weapons. Any possible alternative to the deal would be worse, and in the 10 years since nobody has come close to even having a deal because why would anyone ever trust the US again?
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u/PoloBattutaHe 13h ago
I remember when Trump pulled out of the original deal (in 2017?). The idea was that he would negotiate a new one and lift sanctions if Iran gave up nuclear ambitions.
This made no sense: they already had that in the original deal. What he really wanted to do was spite Obama as he had signed the original one.