By Daniel DePetris
More than a year and a half since the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran began, Washington is no closer to taming the country’s behavior or getting a “better deal” with Tehran. President Trump needs to accept the reality in front of him: The problems posed by Iran are not going to be solved by more sanctions, isolation, or military deployments. It’s time to ditch the failed maximum pressure strategy and engage in pragmatic diplomacy.
The logic behind maximum pressure was simple: By slashing Iran’s oil exports, deterring foreign businesses from investing in the Iranian market, and shutting Iran out of the global financial system, Washington would force political leadership in Tehran to come begging for economic relief.
As the world’s dominant financial powerhouse, there was never any doubt the U.S. could strangle Iran’s economy.
This piece was originally published by Real Clear Defense on December 10, 2019. Read more HERE.