Iran, through its proxy forces in Yemen, is turning a vital international waterway into a militarized chokepoint that threatens freedom of navigation, a senior U.S. commander charged Wednesday. – Washington Examiner
Tzvi Kahn writes: Iran has likely threatened to withdraw from the deal merely to deter a robust U.S. response to its regional aggression. After all, such a move would deprive the country of billions in international sanctions relief at a time when its economy, though improved since the agreement, remains fragile. In this context, the new legislation marks a belated attempt to restore U.S. deterrence and call Tehran’s bluff. – Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Ilan Berman writes: [T]he growing opposition emerging to his government and the mounting (and officially sanctioned) pressure he now faces mean that Rouhani’s political victory is no longer a sure thing. In other words, having staked his political credibility on the inevitable benefits of a nuclear bargain with the West, Iran’s president might yet become its most high-profile casualty. – Foreign Affairs
Martin Indyk writes: Countering Iran’s regional hegemonic ambitions is a deadly serious business. In pursuing this objective, we should be careful about making threats unless we are prepared to back them up, and we should be wary of declaring objectives that we have neither the will nor interest to achieve. Above all, we should be mindful of the logical consequences of our strategy and think those through before launching on a course that could well have the opposite effect of what we intended. None of those cautions, however, should deter the United States from taking up the challenge while we have the opportunity to do so. – Brookings Institution