Iran has again restricted international access to its nuclear program, which continues to enrich uranium at concentration levels approaching that needed to produce a nuclear bomb.
Reuters reported on Thursday that Iran has restricted the access of the International Atomic Energy Agency to the regime’s main uranium enrichment plant at Natanz. The plant was attacked in April, suffering explosions after apparently being targeted by Israel. That is to say, the Jewish state upon which the Islamic Republic threatens to deliver a second Holocaust.
This report is just another example of Iran refusing to come clean with its nuclear ambitions. But it carries a clear warning for the United States as Washington seeks to reenter the 2015 nuclear deal. Recall that the 2015 agreement failed to mandate inspection rights any time and anywhere. Instead, it offered Iran a process by which to delay and defray intrusive inspections at sites of concern.
Iran clearly holds the initiative.
Last month, the U.S. and its European allies declined to submit a resolution to the IAEA that would have criticized Iran for uranium traces that were discovered at three sites. This was an effort not to upset the regime amid talks in Vienna toward America rejoining the 2015 nuclear deal.
Still, the IAEA has been weak when it comes to monitoring and inspecting Iran’s nuclear facilities. The U.S. and its European partners have given Tehran pass after pass instead of utilizing “maximum pressure” as leverage to exert concessions. Iran’s leaders have repeatedly proven themselves an adversary to humanity, not just in regards to their nuclear program, but also via their regional aggression, support for terrorism, ballistic missile program, and human rights violations.
It is high time that the U.S. stop seeking to reenter this broken arrangement. If President Joe Biden is serious about preventing Iran from obtaining a deliverable nuclear weapon, he should reintroduce the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign. Biden has talked about rallying our allies to confront today’s challenges. The administration would be wise to do just that against Iran.
Jackson Richman is a journalist in Washington, D.C. Follow him @jacksonrichman.
