The U.S. decision to join Israel’s strikes on Iran’s safeguarded nuclear facilities while negotiations on a nuclear agreement were ongoing dealt a serious blow to U.S. efforts to constrain Iran’s nuclear program. The premature use of force set back Iran’s nuclear program temporarily, but risks pushing Tehran closer to nuclear weapons in the long term. The U.S. strikes also complicate the diplomatic efforts that are still necessary to reach an effective, verifiable nuclear deal.

To reach an effective non-proliferation deal with Iran, the U.S must abandon zero enrichment of uranium as a requirement. Unless Trump is willing to show more flexibility and realism regarding the future of Iran’s nuclear activities, the United States will miss another opportunity to address Iran's growing proliferation risk.

President Donald Trump's missile defense executive order calls for a new architecture for homeland ballistic and cruise missile defense and outlines a policy shift toward defending or deterring “any foreign aerial attack on the Homeland.”