OPINION:
Joel Rubin advises that the diplomatic tide is turning and we should take this opportunity once again to de-escalate the nuclear standoff (“The time is ripe for a new nuclear deal with Iran,” web, June 13).
Mr. Rubin is misguided in believing that the Comprehensive Plan of Action from which then-President Donald Trump withdrew America had real guardrails around Iran’s nuclear program. That agreement gave Iran a green light to become a nuclear nation. It might have slowed but it in no way prevented that eventuality.
Mr. Rubin needs to consider more carefully why Iran is so keen to acquire nuclear weapons. It has two principal drivers. The first is to acquire the deterrence that motivated the current nuclear nations. The second is to acquire the means to achieve its ambition of destroying Israel, a vain hope because Israel has been way ahead of it in acquiring an effective nuclear deterrent.
Few Americans will sleep easily knowing that President Biden has said that if Iran rejects the path of diplomacy all options will remain on the table. After seeing the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and watching the inpouring of foreign nationals at our borders, few of us can put any stock in the ability of our present government to keep us secure.
It is time our leaders recognized that no diplomatic arrangement with Iran can be meaningful while the present regime is in power. Until then, containment remains the only way forward.
STANLEY ORMAN
Rockville, Maryland
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