USA och Iran

Trita Parsi ger idag ett intressant historiskt perspektiv på förhandlingarna med Iran:

In 2003, as I describe in Treacherous Alliance – the Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran and the US, Iran only had 164 centrifuges. It offered to negotiate with the United States, and, but the George Bush administration refused. “We don’t talk to evil,” Vice President Dick Cheney quipped in response to the negotiation offer. Instead, the Bush administration resorted to threats of war and sanctions.

Iran, in turn, expanded its program. By 2005, it had 3,000 centrifuges. Again, it sought negotiations and offered to stop expanding its nuclear program. Again, the United States refused.

By the time President Barack Obama came to power, the Iranians were operating around 8,000 centrifuges. After his initial, limited attempt at diplomacy failed , Obama embarked on what was called the pressure track – sanctions. As the United States ramped up unprecedented sanctions, Iran accelerated its nuclear activities. By end of 2013, Iran had 22,000 centrifuges. It had a large stockpile of both low and medium enriched uranium. It had mastered the fuel cycle. It was closer to a breakout capability than ever before.

Pressure yielded pressure. Sanctions begot centrifuges. The escalation had left the United States increasingly faced the worst option – war.

Until diplomacy begun in earnest – much thanks to the commitment of President Obama and the elections of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/confirmed-the-hawks-were-wrong-iran-12538