Iran

But the fall of Syria’s Assad and the weakened states of Hamas and Hezbollah have diminished Iran’s influence. At the same time, domestic unrest and a struggling economy create growing threats to Iran’s clerical rulers. The Trump administration has an historic opportunity to use diplomacy to move Iran away from its dangerous nuclear brinkmanship and toward a better future for the Iranian
people.

Call on Congress to support diplomatic efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring or developing a nuclear weapon.

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Since late February, the United States and Israel have been waging an unauthorized war against Iran. The Trump administration alleged its chief military objective was to degrade Iranian military capabilities and prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon but strikes also wiped out a significant cadre of Iranian government and military leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamanei. The Islamic regime has remained largely resilient, engaging in asymmetric attacks and expanding the conflict to neighboring countries. Most critically, Iran’s military closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s gas travels, leading to one of the most significant global energy crises. Mediators like Pakistan and Qatar have helped to broker temporary ceasefires, but the Strait remained closed as Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon stymied greater progress in ending in the war.

In mid-June, the U.S. and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding creates a framework for a final peace agreement to be negotiated in 60 days to end the war. The MOU most important reopens the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping and lays out parameters for follow-on nuclear negotiations.

The deal has drawn pushback from hardliners on all sides, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, who appears to be defying the terms of the agreement by continuing its attacks in Lebanon.  Hardliners in the United States have decried the lifting of sanctions on Iran and the issuance of waivers on the export of Iranian oil.

Technical negotiations mediated by Pakistan and Qatar have commenced in Switzerland to tackle the larger nuclear file, but talks have so far continued to rehash supposedly settled issues like the Strait and Lebanon. Reaching a nuclear agreement will be a challenge in this environment, not least because Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 Nuclear Deal has enabled Iran to enrich more near weapons grade uranium, but also because the war has changed Iran’s security calculations and increased the value of a nuclear weapons program.