Jacob Niggel's Advice to the U.S. and Israel on Countering the Islamic Republic

Jacob Niggel, a senior member of the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, called for the United States and Israel to prepare for confronting the Islamic Republic and its nuclear and regional activities. In a note published on Wednesday, January 23, he regarded Donald Trump's potential return to the White House as the beginning of a new era in Washington and U.S.-Israel relations. He recommended that before the dismantling of all nuclear facilities and capabilities of the Islamic Republic, either voluntarily or by foreign forces, the Trump administration should revert to a 'maximum pressure' strategy through very tough sanctions against the Iranian government and make it clear to the Islamic Republic that threats of military action from the U.S. and its allies are not empty promises. This senior member of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies noted the dire security conditions of the Iranian government following recent Israeli attacks and the significant collapse of its proxy groups, stating that the Islamic Republic is likely to refuse voluntary cooperation to destroy its capabilities. Niggel further concluded that Israel, preferably in collaboration with the U.S., should be prepared to confront the Islamic Republic and its nuclear facilities while simultaneously increasing efforts to weaken the 'regime' and hoping that the Iranian people, who have long suffered under the clerical government, will overthrow it. He identified the most important issue ahead as a 'joint and decisive struggle' against the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, the Iranian government's regional behavior, and its support for terrorist organizations throughout the region. Jacob Niggel described the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the JCPOA, as 'flawed' and characterized Trump's withdrawal from this agreement in 2018 as 'wise.' He wrote, 'Fortunately for Israel and the world, the Islamic Republic revealed its true intentions by violating the agreement, taking advantage of the Biden administration's weakness and hesitation.' The senior member of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies urged Israel to inform about the extraordinary danger that negotiating with the Islamic Republic poses and emphasized the importance of cooperation with Middle Eastern partners, Abraham Accord members, and Saudi Arabia in this regard. Niggel further stated that a 'good agreement' must not allow the Iranian government to continue its nuclear activities and emphasized that such an agreement should bear no resemblance to the previous nuclear agreement. He stressed that there is no justification for the existence of underground facilities in a civilian nuclear program. He also considered addressing fissile materials, weapon systems, and delivery methods in the Islamic Republic's nuclear program essential for finding any solutions in this regard. Jacob Niggel noted that fissile materials (uranium and plutonium) and the technology for producing them must be completely banned on Iranian soil and placed under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. In the opinion of this senior member of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, all capabilities and facilities for conversion and enrichment, enriched materials at all levels, heavy water reactors, and any other capabilities must be completely destroyed, leaving no room for negotiation on this matter. He emphasized that before considering any agreement, Iran must disclose all its past activities and respond to all unanswered questions from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Jacob Niggel also deemed the issuance of vague United Nations resolutions regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear program as 'insufficient' and wrote that in any potential agreement, missile development capable of carrying nuclear weapons must be completely halted. He speculated that the 'current regime in Tehran' would never accept these conditions.