In the coming days President Trump is due to decide whether to continue the suspension of sanctions on Iran or reinstate them. Reinstatement of the sanctions would be tantamount to a withdrawal from the nuclear agreement reached in 2015 between Iran and the world powers. In advance of the President’s decision, INSS held a simulation and extensive deliberations on the issue. INSS researchers, who are leading experts in the field, recommend strongly that the United States not withdraw from the nuclear agreement at this critical juncture. This article analyzes the current overall strategic environment vis-à-vis Iran, and contends that the cost of a US withdrawal from the agreement at the present time would be greater than the benefits of such a measure. Accordingly, the United States should lead the efforts to pressure Iran through the full implementation of the agreement, and punish it for its provocative activity in areas that are outside the agreement: subversive activity in the Middle East; terrorism and arms proliferation; promotion of its ballistic missile program; and human rights violations.

Read the full article at the INSS.