What to Do About Iran

The Iran Deal Is a Lie

Even if Mr. Stephens' assessment of the Iran deal is correct, and it's always going to be hard to confirm what another country is doing behind its borders, it's very doubtful that a "credible military threat" is the appropriate response. There can be no doubt that the economic sanctions have been working. The Iranian regime has syphoned off badly needed resources to fund its proxies abroad and the Iranian people appear to be getting tired of it. A better response would be Mr Stephens' first option--double down on the economic sanctions. A military response would likely create more national unity, while economic pressure would likely put pressure on the regime to spend more money at home than in other places--like Syria. One thing is certain--Iran is a bad actor and we should be putting more pressure on them rather than less. Cancelling the treaty on our side leaves our Allies--the UK, France, and Germany--on their own. Some of them are eager to get back into the Iranian economy. Would they have the will to resist if the US doesn't participate?