John Kerry was the Secretary of State when the Obama Administration cut their very controversial deal with Iran in July, 2015.
I've excerpted the keys from his op ed in yesterday's Wall Street Journal (He starts his column by explaining why this could not have been done in 2015) below the link. And I took the liberty of bolding and underling the key issue – Iran does not want nuclear inspections.
In other words, the Islamic Republic holds a weak negotiating hand precisely at a time when it is closer to a bomb than ever before. While some would argue this is a time to focus narrowly on a new nuclear agreement, we believe broader possibilities are achievable. A new deal could and should go much further than previous negotiations allowed.
Mr. Trump can seek an agreement that prevents Iran from ever possessing a potentially lethal nuclear program. First, he should prohibit uranium enrichment above the threshold for civilian use and require an end to hardened or buried nuclear sites. A strict cap on the amount of fissile material in Iran’s possession, coupled with a comprehensive inspections regime to ensure compliance, would be a mandatory corollary. Commitments would have to be enduring and verifiable.
Tehran must also agree to stringent circumscription of its ballistic-missile program and outright termination of sponsorship of proxies and terrorism. Iran has proved reckless in wielding both weapons. The resolution of these pressure points is essential to regional peace.
But there are carrots, too. If Iran proves it has adhered fully to the terms of a new relationship, all crippling economic sanctions related to the regime’s illicit nuclear, missile and regional activities could be lifted. Official diplomatic recognition and full relations with the U.S. could be extended. The Senate should codify this revamped state of affairs with a legally binding treaty—thereby addressing a key Iranian concern about the possible reversal of any executive agreement. Historically, many Democratic senators have supported a peaceful resolution to the Iranian nuclear threat. Mr. Trump alone, with his deep ties to Republican senators, could summon the two-thirds majority needed to ratify such a measure.
Geopolitically, Tehran has no better option. As Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ponders whether to make a new deal, he has the chance to pivot from a proxy strategy that has failed spectacularly, and to do so before a military confrontation with either the U.S. or Israel. Mr. Khamenei has many times stated his opposition to nuclear weapons, condemning their development and use on moral and religious grounds. If he has no intention of acquiring nuclear weapons, why not pre-empt a war that could lead to cataclysmic consequences for him and the region, in return for the certainty that comes with a treaty?
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