New York City — President Trump should try to renegotiate the Iran deal and maybe make it permanent instead of withdrawing from the pact, according to former Gov. Jeb Bush.
“Maybe the question of negotiation is to extend it to permanency,” Bush said during a panel discussion hosted by United Against Nuclear Iran.
That idea was based on the assumption that Iran is complying with the agreement and has arrested the development of its nuclear weapons program, something critics of the deal don’t accept. It’s also at odds with President Trump’s likely decision to decline to certify Iranian compliance with the agreement.
Still, Bush praised Trump’s tough rhetoric about the regime, and he and other foreign policy leaders suggested that Trump might be setting the stage for new Iran talks, instead of preparing to scrap the deal altogether.
“I think the president’s instincts are correct, to broaden out the conversation, broaden out the efforts beyond the technical aspects of the agreement,” Bush said. “Because in isolation, this only legitimizes the regime. So my hope is really whether Iran is viewed as out of compliance or not, that we bring back the coalition that is deeply concerned about the instability that Iran brings to the region, to its own country, and to the world.”
“If we take them at their word, which is that they want a peaceful nuclear program for energy — which is kind of unusual since they’re a massive oil producer — but let’s assume they’re correct, then there are ways that the world can help them have that capability without endangering the United States,” Bush said.
Another panel echoed that theme that Trump’s most recent rhetoric about Iran is designed to set the table for new talks that include Israel and Arab rivals of the Iranian regime.
“He’s signaling that he may not certify because if he does then that may give him some leverage to renegotiate some terms of the agreement,” former Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., told the UANI audience. “If he does that, I think we can improve the deal.”
Some of the criticisms Bush leveled at the Iranians — their increased aggression throughout the Middle East and various reported violations of the agreement — prompted other Iran hawks to say the deal must be abandoned.
“I don’t know in good faith how you can re-certify it,” said Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla. “I think it’s hard to do that and I think it’s even doubly hard seeing how they’ve behaved since this deal has been enacted.”
