Dan Perry
The Hill, Apr. 22, 2025
“Rather than signaling a return to Obama-era frameworks or outsourcing military action to Israel, the United States should present Iran with an ultimatum: verifiable and irreversible total dismantling of its nuclear and weaponization programs — as well as an end to proxy militias which have sewn misery and chaos all over the region, from Yemen to Iraq to Syria and Lebanon.”
As the Trump administration heads into a third stage of nuclear talks with Iran, the contours of a major missed opportunity are emerging. Trump — who in 2018 torpedoed the Obama-era nuclear deal — now seems to want something strikingly similar. Despite some threats and hints of toughness, Trump appears far more interested in striking any deal than using the opportunity to finally bring the Islamic Republic to heel.
Worse, he is suggesting that if force is needed, Israel should take the lead. This is a profound strategic error.
Iran’s nuclear program is no longer a theoretical threat. The regime is enriching uranium to 60% — a stone’s throw from weapons-grade — and possesses enough fissile material for multiple bombs, according to credible intelligence course. It continues to prevent inspections, advance centrifuge technology, and shield operations in underground facilities designed to survive airstrikes. While Tehran insists its intentions are peaceful, its actions betray a clear drive toward nuclear capability.
This is happening at a moment of vulnerability for the regime. Its proxies — Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis — have been hit hard since the war that Hamas launched on Oct. 7, 2023. So have Iran’s air defenses, significantly degraded by Israel last fall in its response to history’s biggest ballistic missile attack (though Iran claims it has fixed some of this). At home, economic pressure and public unrest are high. Iran’s deterrence is fraying. In this context, a bold U.S. strategy could compel real change — but that would require more than recycled diplomacy.
Trump and his uber-envoy Steve Witkoff, who seems to be running much of the policy and has issued contradictory statements about whether Iran could continue to enrich uranium, are missing a rare opportunity to redefine the terms and put an end to one of the great destabilizing factors on the world state today.
Rather than signaling a return to Obama-era frameworks or outsourcing military action to Israel, the United States should present Iran with an ultimatum: verifiable and irreversible total dismantling of its nuclear and weaponization programs — as well as an end to proxy militias which have sewn misery and chaos all over the region, from Yemen to Iraq to Syria and Lebanon. In exchange, Iran might get sanctions relief and normalized trade. No sunset clauses. No ambiguity. No delays. …SOURCE