While U.S. President Donald Trump weighs whether to join IsraelтАЩs assault on Iran, foreign policy veterans and analysts argue that a negotiated settlement, not bombs nor commandos, is the only way to eliminate the threat of Tehran gaining a nuclear weapon.
“I donтАЩt believe thereтАЩs a lasting military solution to the Iranian nuclear problem,тАЭ said Caroline Zier, a former senior Pentagon official under both Republican and Democratic administrations. “You can delay, you can set back, but the long-term solution comes at the negotiating table.тАЭ
For Trump, a deal would avoid dragging the U.S. into another regional war or driving up inflation-generating oil prices. Israel is determined to eliminate what it sees as an existential threat. And Iran is desperate to remove crippling economic sanctions.
