"Though we have achieved progress, our work is not over. That is why I support the mission of the Arms Control Association. It is, quite simply, the most effective and important organization working in the field today."
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U.S. President Donald Trump continues to allege, without evidence, that Iran’s nuclear program posed an imminent threat to the United States. The following are answers to frequently asked questions about Iran’s proliferation risk and nuclear security issues.
U.S. President Donald Trump and senior administration officials have offered conflicting justifications for the renewed U.S. strikes on Iran, including the claim that Iran’s nuclear and missile programs posed an imminent threat to the United States. There is no evidence, however, to support those claims. Read this issue brief for answers to FAQs on these claims.
The U.S.-Israeli military operation prompted Iranian counterstrikes and occurred two days after U.S. and Iranian negotiators met in Geneva for negotiations on a nuclear deal.
Eight years after abandoning the 2015 nuclear deal that was effectively blocking Iran’s path to a bomb, and less than a year after Israeli and U.S. forces struck key Iranian nuclear facilities, U.S. President Donald Trump has dispatched his envoys to try to persuade Iran to permanently give the option to enrich uranium or face another, possibly much larger, U.S. attack.
Another U.S. aerial military strike on Iran, as President Trump said today he is considering, would not advance the goal of blocking Iran’s potential pathways to acquire nuclear weapons if its leaders were to decide to do so.
With signals pointing to a resumption of U.S.-Iran talks, the Trump administration has another opportunity to reduce Tehran’s proliferation risk and the likelihood of the United States getting sucked into further, counterproductive military strikes against Iran’s nuclear program. Going into talks, the United States should prioritize restoring IAEA safeguards and move away from unrealistic demands on enrichment.
The U.S. president said he would act “immediately” if Tehran takes steps to rebuild its nuclear program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors passed a resolution urging Iran to fully implement safeguards on its nuclear program and provide information about its stockpile of enriched uranium.
IAEA member states must overcome their political differences and unite to support the IAEA in rebuilding transparency and verification in Iran.
Neither Iran nor the United States appears willing to take the first step to begin talks.
Although officials say diplomacy is still possible, the re-imposition of sanctions effectively ends the 2015 nuclear deal that U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned in 2018.
Today’s UN Security Council vote to restore international sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program does not close the door on diplomacy, but if the United States and Iran do not move swiftly to restart negotiations on a pragmatic, effective nuclear agreement, there is an increased risk that Iran will resume sensitive nuclear activities and a new military crisis between Washington and Tehran could erupt.
If the E3 and the United States fail to prioritize pragmatic diplomacy in the coming weeks and provide assurance that there will be no further military attacks while bilateral talks proceed, they risk pushing Tehran closer to nuclear weapons and putting the region back on a path to war.
Iran and the E3 (France, Germany, and the United Kingdom) met on July 25 in Istanbul, the first
nuclear talks since Israel attacked Iran on June 13. Enrichment of uranium remains a key issue.
Sherman, the former U.S. deputy secretary of state, says “we must persist” in pursuing a diplomatic solution to the impasse over Iran’s nuclear program.