Why are we headed for a blowup with Iran? It began when Trump scrapped the nuclear deal.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/06/17/iran-us-blowup-possible-since-trump-quit-nuclear-deal-column/1471389001/
Tensions in the volatile U.S.-Iran relationship are increasing, and the two sides are ever closer to the possibility of a direct military confrontation since President Donald Trump condemned what was almost certainly an Iranian mine attack disabling two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week. A serious and sustained conflict isnt inevitable, but the odds have increased.
How did we get here and, more troubling, exactly where are we going? Amidst all the hype, spin and storytelling from both sides, here are some harsh truths about the Trump administration and its Iranian adversaries.
The Iranian regime is authoritarian, ideological and repressive, a serial human rights abuser and regional troublemaker. But we now find ourselves in a dangerous situation largely as a result of a great unraveling begun by the Trump administration's unilateral decision last year to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement.
The accord known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was flawed, to be sure, and didnt address Irans aggressive regional behavior or its ballistic missile programs. Even so, it was still a highly functional arms control agreement that imposed significant constraints on Iran's nuclear program for at least for a decade or more.