Memorandum on Iran Nuclear Deal
To: Donald Trump, President of the United States
From: Drew Nelson, Foreign Policy Expert
Date: 19 April 2018
Subject: Uphold and Revise the Iranian Nuclear Deal
Introduction
The United States has signed a nuclear weapon deal with Iran that is due for renewal next month. The current President, however, is not happy with the deal and believes the United States is losing. They must come to a deal so that Iran will give up their ability to create nuclear weapons and the sanctions on the country will be lifted. Instead of dropping out of the deal, I urge the president to renew it and revise it so that all parties will enter the deals willingly.
Context
The United States of America and Iran have had a rather complicated history with one another. After the Second World War, the United States desired to stay involved in the Middle East and have been ever since. This results in the US taking part in a coup to overthrow the democratically elected Prime Minister: Mohammad Mossaadeq. This further complicates the relationship during the Iranian revolution when the people of Iran overthrow the Shah supported by the US: Mohammed Reza Pahlevi. Then, the United States embassy is taken over and hostages are held in captivity. Later, President George Bush deems Iran as one of the countries part of the “axis of evil.” It is then revealed that Iran has been developing nuclear facilities using uranium and the United States and United Nations places sanctions on the Middle Eastern country. More recently, President Obama, with five other world powers, signed a deal with Iran that would reduce their ability to produce nuclear weapons and drop the sanctions and isolation from international business. Trump has now criticized the deal as losing and it is due for renewal in May. It does not look likely that Trump will do so.
Task
The task here is ensure that Iran gives up their ability to develop nuclear weapons. However, the United States cannot expect them to do so without any give-and-take. This would not be a deal and would most likely end up with Iran having all of their nuclear ability and sanctions still placed on them. So, the task here is stay with the deal and revise it so that all countries involved are happier with it.
Solution
Although Trump does not like the deal, it is not wise to just back out of the deal and allow Iran to have the capability to build these weapons. I advise Trump to work with his administration to create a deal that they think is wiser. This will probably include Iran giving up more of their ability to develop their enrichment facilities and be under more surveillance. However, the United States will have to bring something to the table that is beneficial for Iran as well. This could include lifting the sanctions and possibly buying oil from them if they do not do so already. Instead of just dropping the deal and allowing them to create a nuclear weapon, the United States should work with them and other countries to ensure a deal is made that all parties are content with.
Conclusion
The United States cannot just drop the Iran Nuclear Deal. We must look critically at it to see the parts that we do not like and fix them. If Trump does not renew it, then Iran will return to having the capability of creating nuclear weapons right now and will grow angry with the United States as their economy will still be crippled by the sanctions in place. I advise the President to renew the deal and then work on revising it.
I appreciate your willingness to tailor the deal to the new administration, but there are real issues with opening up this pandora's box. When negotiating the first nuclear deal, it was nearly impossible to find the political environment where both sides could enter negotiations. Who is to say that Iran would be willing to give up more? Also, what would that consist of? It would probably mean a reduction in nuclear power in Iran, but isn't that their right as a country? I don't believe that a renegotiation could in anyway work because it implies that the standards would be more stringent, and thus impeding Iran's ability to have nuclear energy which in being honest is simply their right as a nation as long as it is peaceful.
ReplyDeleteI believe this is a very well thought out argument, but I did find one hole in the argument. Regardless of how difficult it would be to get the two sides to come back to the table to negotiate a second deal, what the US would have to give up to bring them back to the table to any agreement would be too risky. For exmple, by suggesting the United States buy oil from Iran yes we could help jolt their economy, but providing money to a very unstable region could lead to other more dangerous problems. They are still viewed as a state sponsor of terrorism so by purchasing goods from them we could be put into a very dangerous position.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with your argument, I do question the feasibility of the solution you offer. Specifically with the current administration, I find it implausible that Trump would be willing to partake in diplomatic talks with Iran--especially if that requires him to consider's Iran's interest in this rather than just the United States'. With Trump's vague "America First" foreign policy approach, I would think that he would be unwilling to give up part of America's interest in the deal in order to negotiate with Iran.
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