Foundation for Defense of Democracies: Disarming Iran's Nuclear Program is the Only Way to Ensure U.S. Security

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, based in Washington D.C. and focused on national security and foreign policy, has examined the various security aspects posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran equipped with nuclear weapons in a report. Behnam Ben Taleblu, Orde Kittrie, and Andrea Stricker provide a "comprehensive roadmap" for the permanent dismantling of Tehran's nuclear weapons program, considering the Islamic Republic's track record and the experience of the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA. They argue that any agreement with the Islamic Republic must extend beyond arms control and include the complete and verifiable dismantling of uranium and plutonium enrichment and the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile program. The authors of the report believe that full transparency and accountability require strong oversight from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and "anytime, anywhere" access for this agency to the Islamic Republic's nuclear and military sites, stating that this should be the cornerstone of any potential agreement. They have argued that this nuclear expansion did not occur during Donald Trump's first presidential term after his withdrawal from the JCPOA. These analysts assert that after Joe Biden's presidency and the abandonment of the "maximum pressure campaign," a clear lesson from the Islamic Republic's behavior was that they escalated their actions when they sensed U.S. weakness and would retreat when they felt U.S. power. They advised the Trump administration to avoid a deal similar to the JCPOA, which had its flaws, stating that this agreement failed to permanently block the Islamic Republic's pathways to acquiring nuclear weapons. Furthermore, this agreement did not guarantee that Tehran's covert nuclear weapons program had ended. Additionally, the JCPOA did not address the growing ballistic missile arsenal of the Islamic Republic. Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has revived the "maximum pressure campaign" and called for a comprehensive agreement with the Islamic Republic. However, Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Iranian regime, has declared any negotiations with the U.S. to be forbidden. Meanwhile, the economic situation in Iran is worsening daily due to the regime's extensive tensions with the world and the West. A few days ago, Donald Trump announced that he had written a letter to the leaders of the Islamic Republic expressing hope for negotiations. The U.S. President also warned that the only options before the Islamic Republic are "reaching an agreement" or "military action." In recent days, various U.S. government officials, including a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department and a spokesperson for the National Security Council at the White House, told Voice of America that Washington is committed to preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons. Trump's offer of "diplomacy" to the Islamic Republic and warnings about military options were discussed at the Security Council: Iran's nuclear program is a threat to global peace and security. Britain warned that it would activate the "snapback mechanism" against Iran if necessary. The U.S. is committed to preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons. China is negotiating with Moscow and Tehran regarding the Iranian nuclear case. The Security Council meeting addressed the increase in enriched uranium reserves in Iran. Rubio commented on the Iranian regime's response to Trump's letter: we have only received what Khamenei has publicly stated. The White House stated that the Islamic Republic has only two options: agreement or military action.