Is the Iran Nuclear Deal Dead?

FEATURING REESE ERLICH – Iranian officials recently announced that they had pushed past a 3.7% limit on enriched nuclear material set forth in the 2015 nuclear deal with the US and Europe. The United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that violation of the deal. The nation that has been pointedly targeted by President Donald Trump has indicated that it may move toward 20% enrichment soon. Iran also said that it had increased its nuclear stockpile beyond the nuclear deal’s limits.

Meanwhile the Trump administration met with the Emir of Qatar on Tuesday at the White House to discuss that nation’s potential role as mediator between the US and Iran. There are indications that Trump is not keen on a war with Iran although he led the campaign to unravel President Obama’s nuclear deal. Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton has made it his life’s mission to foment a war with Iran. Will Bolton’s desires win out?

Reese Erlich, veteran foreign correspondent and author of a number of books about the Middle East and war on terror, including Inside Syria: The Backstory of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect. His latest book is called The Iran Agenda Today. His twice-monthly column called Foreign Correspondent appears in The Progressive.