this month This year marks the first anniversary of the murder of Iranian Kurdish girl Mahsa Zina Amini, whose death shocked the world. global trends and the first female-led revolution. The United States and the European Union hope that the fires do not turn into a conflagration and add to the burden of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Indeed, the unity of the United States (Republican and Democratic) and European countries in confronting Russia is commendable and has brought results. I can’t help but wonder where that same friendship exists when confronting Iran. The mullahs have achieved what Putin has eluded. The divide-and-conquer strategy in the Western world pays dividends.
A look back at the relationship between the United States and Iran since the 1979 revolution shows that the United States does not have a consistent long-term policy toward Iran. We’ve had either a Republican policy on Iran or a Democratic policy. As one parliamentary staffer put it, Iran’s policy is primarily for domestic consumption and a way for the regime and lawmakers to demonstrate virtue to voters. Republicans need to be uncompromising on Iran, and Democrats need to negotiate at all costs. Neither team has won a trophy yet.
The last time the United States witnessed such significant stagnation was after World War II. In 1945, one of its leaders, Senator Arthur Vandenberg (R-Mich.), was the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and an outspoken critic of further involvement in Europe. He chose the bipartisan path.Powerful after speech On the Senate floor, he chose to cooperate with Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman in establishing NATO, the United Nations, the Marshall Plan, and the Truman Doctrine.Vandenberg’s Famous statement The argument that bipartisan foreign policy “simply pursues national security over partisan interests” and that politics should “stop at the water’s edge” remains relevant.
Our current partisanship on Iran policy is a strange position. Gallup poll Consistently, nearly 75 percent of Americans view Iran’s nuclear weapons development as a “grave threat” to the United States. Not a major threat, but a serious one. Today, Americans’ support for Ukraine is about 60% only a few months ago Stays at around 45%.
Differences of opinion are a natural part of democratic policy-making. But when Republicans and Democrats argue in public, they are essentially washing our dirty laundry in public. One important audience is the Islamic Republic. The Islamic Republic interprets the sparring as a sign of anarchy within the United States and a major weakness for the dictatorship. One example is the Obama administration’s move to keep Congress out of legislative negotiations. joint comprehensive plan of actionand 47 senators Letter to Iranian Parliament Undermining the President of the United States.
In today’s polarized political environment, the prospects for unification policies, both abroad and domestically, are bleak. However, Iran is not a reclusive state like North Korea, where power is passed from one regime to another. The development of nuclear weapons is imminent.
Since 2000, Iran authorized It was reauthorized for pursuing nuclear technology and promoting regional unrest. Each administration since Obama has imposed 60 to 75 sanctions against Iran, along with five acts of Congress, 12 executive orders, and four United Nations resolutions. But Iran’s nuclear capabilities are even more advanced.
The JCPOA required Iran to maintain its enrichment level. 3.67%.Currently fulfilling 60 percent And he claims that it reached 84% “by chance.”There were supposed to be 5,060 centrifuges now. There are approximately 13,000. There was only one enrichment facility, but another facility, claimed to be a research facility, had been built underground, far from the eyes of the International Atomic Energy Agency.The latest IAEA quarterly report contained dire details. caveat It said Iran’s actions and the failure of bilateral talks “severely impacts the authorities’ ability to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.”
Iran’s nuclear adventurism is often blamed on the Trump administration, which pulled the US out of the JCPOA. However, what some people may not know is that Iran reneged on potential dealIn 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron brokered a deal that would allow Iran to maintain control over its oil revenues and have sanctions lifted in exchange for permanent nuclear-free status.recently poll According to the Iranian American Public Affairs Alliance, 85 percent of Iranian Americans do not support returning to the JCPOA. why? Because they are familiar with the thinking and history of some mullahs and do not see them as reliable and honest negotiating partners.
Some analysts and reporters believe that Iran has no interest in becoming a nuclear power, but rather is stuck on that threshold. Teetering on the brink means he is one month away from becoming a nuclear power.There is 32 countries Countries around the world that “accidentally” have peaceful nuclear technology that has not reached 84 percent enrichment. The Islamic Republic, whose population is in direct opposition, knows that nuclear capability is its ticket to longevity, as it has vivid examples of the fate of other nuclear-minded countries.
libya I gave up His nuclear technology overthrew Gaddafi’s regime, and he killed.ukraine I gave up It was invaded by Russia, seizing its nuclear warheads in exchange for security and economic aid. On the other hand, North Korea’s Kim dynasty suspended He opposed nuclear weapons and has been in power for 60 years.
According to Politico, Vandenberg defined bipartisan foreign policy as “an agreement formed through consultation between the President, the State Department, and Congressional leaders of both parties.” A long-term bipartisan Iran policy leverages the full range of foreign policy tools, including smart diplomacy, sanctions, public diplomacy with the Iranian people, negotiations with consequences, deterrence, and defensive military action as necessary. This allows us to cooperate and develop.
For Iranian youth, the Achilles heel of the Islamic Republic, there is no Republican or Democratic party. They seek support from the United States, which, despite recent hardships, remains a shining beacon of freedom.
By uniting on a long-term Iran policy, leaders in Washington may provide the Islamic Republic with its own medicine. They could try a “divide and conquer” strategy against different branches of the Iranian government.
Gori Ameri is Vice Chair of Freedom House, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, and U.S. Representative to the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
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