The illusion of diplomacy
There are people in Washington who still believe the Iranian regime can be persuaded to change through diplomacy. They believe another agreement, another memorandum, or another round of negotiations will somehow convince the ayatollahs to abandon their nuclear ambitions and stop financing terrorism. To believe this is delusion.
We have watched this regime for nearly five decades. It has repeatedly shown that it views negotiations as a strategic tool, not a moral commitment. Agreements buy time. Sanctions relief provides resources. Every concession allows Tehran to strengthen its military, rebuild its economy, and continue pursuing the very objectives it promised to abandon.
Billions for terror
The Biden administration released billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, believing that engagement would encourage moderation. Instead, the regime accelerated its nuclear program and expanded the terrorist network surrounding Israel.
Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other Iranian-backed militias became stronger while ordinary Iranians continued to suffer under an oppressive government. The money did not produce peace. It financed instability throughout the Middle East.
That is why I believe Iran has virtually no intention of honoring this Memorandum of Understanding. Its leadership has never abandoned its commitment to destroy Israel or drive American influence from the region. Those objectives remain central to the regime’s ideology, regardless of what its diplomats say across a negotiating table.
I believe US President Donald Trump understands this reality. Negotiating from a position of strength is not the same as believing your adversary. It demonstrates that every peaceful option has been exhausted before stronger measures become necessary.
Negotiating without illusions
I do not believe Trump is under any illusion about who he is dealing with. Every president has the responsibility to explore diplomatic options before asking young Americans to fight another war. A military conflict with Iran could last for years, cost hundreds of billions of dollars, and send thousands of American families into mourning. Any serious commander in chief must weigh those consequences carefully.
But exhausting diplomacy should never be confused with expecting the Iranian regime to keep its word.
For that reason, I believe Trump’s strategy ultimately centers on economic pressure rather than military occupation. Iran survives because it continues to generate enormous oil revenues that finance its military and its terrorist proxies. As long as that revenue continues to flow, the regime can rebuild whatever sanctions or military strikes destroy. That means targeting the economic lifeline that keeps the regime in power.
Kharg Island remains the economic heart of Iran’s oil exports. Disrupt that lifeline, and the regime loses the resources it depends upon to fund Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Bankrupt the regime, and you dramatically reduce its ability to threaten both Israel and the free world.
Peace through strength
Israel has repeatedly demonstrated that it is fully capable of defending itself against existential threats. If diplomacy eventually reaches its limit, as I believe it will, the United States can continue supporting Israel while allowing the Jewish state to do what it has always done: defend its people against those committed to their destruction.
Peace is always preferable to war, but peace built upon empty promises is only an illusion. The Iranian regime has spent decades revealing exactly who it is. Wisdom requires us to judge the Iranian regime by what it has done, not by what its negotiators promise.
The writer has written 120 books and is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and Nobel Peace Prize nominee. He is the founder of the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem, the Ten Boom Museum in Holland, and Churches United with Israel, the largest Christian Zionist network in America, with more than 30 million followers.
Source:
www.jpost.com
