While U.S. President Donald Trump weighs whether to join Israel¡¯s 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 don¡¯t believe there¡¯s a lasting military solution to the Iranian nuclear problem,¡± 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.¡±
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.
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