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- Aug 21, 2022
- 3 min
Iran Hawks in the US Like John Bolton Have No Viable Alternative to Rejoining the JCPOA
The Biden administration is in the final stages of negotiating a deal with Iran to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] and offer sanctions relief if Tehran agrees to halt enrichment activities and allows renewed oversight of all their nuclear facilities. Former President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement despite Iran's compliance. Trump's decision to withdraw from the JCPOA was widely panned because he had no effective plan to stop Iran from renewing
- Dec 1, 2021
- 4 min
Even With the Restart of Negotiations, Trump & the GOP May Still Get Their War With Iran
During the 2020 election, President Joe Biden promised to restart negotiations with Iran in order to rescue the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, Iran Nuclear Deal) and prevent another bloody war in the Middle East. That may not be possible. Former President Donald Trump's irresponsible decision to withdraw from the JCPOA, despite Iranian adherence to the agreement, set off a chain of events that may be difficult to derail. At some point soon, The United States may b
- Jun 19, 2021
- 2 min
The United States & Iran Will Work to Complete a New Nuclear Deal in the Coming Weeks
The Biden administration continues to work through European Union allies to negotiate a new deal with Iran to limit their nuclear program, bringing them back into compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] signed during the Obama administration. After former President Donald Trump abandoned the JCPOA and reimposed sanctions, Iran began to ramp up their nuclear program. Trump and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were never able to force Iran to accept ter
- Jun 18, 2021
- 2 min
Perverting Democracy in Russia, Iran & Nicaragua; Arrest & Disqualify Your Opponents
Authoritarian leaders in Russia, Iran, and Nicaragua follow similar playbooks when it comes to winning elections; find some pretense to disqualify or arrest your most popular opponents. Elections then are mere formalities, something to add a bit of legitimacy to your dictatorship. Don't get me wrong, many other autocrats engage in similar perversions of democracy, but these three have made headlines recently with their efforts. Iran has a presidential election today, but the
- May 8, 2021
- 2 min
The Biden Administration is Wise to Rejoin the Iran Nuclear Deal
As we and most Middle East experts warned from the outset, former President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] was a monumentally bad idea. The plan was to withdraw, impose punishing sanctions on Tehran, and then hope that the Iranian government would be forced to accept revised terms more palatable to the US and Israel that addressed their missile program and support for groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon. Some conservatives
- Dec 24, 2020
- 2 min
Trump's Blackwater Pardons Strengthen Iran's Hold on Iraq & Undermine US Interests There
Donald Trump sent the worst possible message to the world this week with his pardon of four Blackwater security contractors who participated in the unprovoked killing of 17 Iraqi civilians in Nisour Square in 2007. New York Times: "Amy Jeffress, a top national security prosecutor at the Justice Department who oversaw the case, said the pardons would have a lasting impact on the perception of the United States abroad. “These pardons send a terrible message to the Department of
