Republican critics of President Joe Biden’s nuclear diplomacy with Iran see a constantly caving White House refusing to maintain severe sanctions and a credible military threat.

If Washington were tougher, they argue, it would have vastly better leverage and the possibility of a serious atomic accord. Tehran’s nuclear advance under President Donald Trump, the killer of Iran’s dark lord, Qassem Soleimani, was much less than what has happened since January 2021. Trump scared the regime almost as much as he did Democrats.