
With Iran, Biden Can’t Let Perfect Be the Enemy of Good
Why any new agreement would likely be worse than resuscitating the existing deal.

Why Biden’s Plan to Rejoin the Iran Deal Makes No Sense
This week’s escalation of tensions by Tehran looks like blackmail to force Biden to abandon sanctions—and give up leverage over the regime.

Iran: Maximum Pressure, Minimum Gain
In 2020, the Trump administration sought to bury the Iran nuclear deal for good. Biden is poised to breathe new life into the pact.

How Biden Can Stop Iran’s Conservatives From Undermining the Nuclear Deal
Insisting that Iran must abandon its missile program could fall into the hardliners’ trap and make a new agreement impossible.

Biden Shouldn’t Rush to Restore the Iran Nuclear Deal
Moving quickly to resurrect the JCPOA, as Biden seems set to do, would start his presidency with a hugely divisive controversy.

Biden Needs to Move Fast if He Wants a New Deal With Iran
Moderates will lose the June 2021 presidential election in Iran unless there is a new agreement and sanctions relief—and the United States can forget diplomacy if hardliners win.

How Will Iran React to Another High-Profile Assassination?
The killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a top nuclear scientist, will complicate the incoming Biden administration’s efforts to renew the nuclear deal—and could lead to escalation.

How Israel Should Prepare for Biden’s New Approach to Iran
Israeli officials should urge the new administration to maintain U.S. economic leverage over Iran while avoiding the personal vendettas and public policy feuds of the Obama era.

U.S. Hostility With Iran Only Serves Hardliners on Both Sides
The countries’ interests overlap in some key ways. Biden can work with that.

U.S. Isolated at U.N. as Push to Ramp Up Pressure on Iran Fails
“We don’t need a cheering section,” said Trump’s U.N ambassador. But Washington does need international compliance to make snapback sanctions work.

For Iran, Negotiations Aren’t Optional
With its economy in trouble, Tehran will have to talk to Washington. But the next administration shouldn’t rush things.

Trump Can’t Have His Cake and Eat It Too on Iran Sanctions
Washington has no right to impose snapback sanctions on Tehran because it is no longer a participant in the Iran nuclear deal.

Europe Can Preserve the Iran Nuclear Deal Until November
After a humiliating defeat at the U.N. Security Council, Washington will seek snapback sanctions to sabotage what’s left of the nuclear deal. Britain, France, and Germany can still keep it alive until after the U.S. election.

Don’t Let Iran Blow Up the U.N. Security Council
As a critical vote approaches, the fate of Iran nuclear sanctions—and decades of multilateralism—lies in the hands of Britain and France.

Maximum Pressure May Bring Iran Back to the Table After All
Combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, the country is struggling to stay afloat.

Trump Misses Being Part of the Iran Deal
His administration wants to trigger the JCPOA’s snapback mechanism, but he probably can’t do that from the outside.

Document of the Week: U.S. Pushes Doomed Iran Resolution at U.N.
Trump’s Iran gambit is sweeping, punitive, and has little chance of success.

To Secure His Legacy, Khamenei Is Packing Iran’s Government With Young Radicals
The supreme leader’s youth-washing strategy could keep detente with the United States off the table for years.

Did John Bolton Transform U.S. Foreign Policy or Enable Trump’s Transgressions?
The controversial former national security advisor left his mark in Washington—especially on nuclear arms deals and Iran.