The Washington Post: Iran’s nuclear program can’t be destroyed by bombing

In a report titled “Trump’s Bombing Accomplished Far Less Than Obama’s Nuclear Deal”, The Washington Post rejected Trump’s assertions that U.S. strikes had fully dismantled Iran’s nuclear program.

The report notes that history shows it is nearly impossible to eliminate a nuclear program through airpower alone. In the absence of a ground invasion—which no one is seriously proposing in the case of Iran—the only effective way to ensure nuclear disarmament is a binding international agreement.

The Post then referred to the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 (the U.S., UK, France, Russia, China plus Germany), known as the JCPOA, struck under President Barack Obama. It pointed out the irony that Obama had indeed secured such a deal, which Trump recklessly abandoned in 2018, a move that prompted Iran to accelerate its uranium enrichment.

The article goes on to say that while the JCPOA was not perfect, as long as Iran adhered to the deal and international inspections were in place, the agreement effectively prevented Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon for at least 15 years.

The Washington Post further notes that even the most optimistic assessments of the damage caused by U.S. and Israeli airstrikes suggest that they have only delayed Iran’s nuclear program by a short period.

In conclusion, the paper states that Trump had promised in 2018 to negotiate a far tougher deal with Iran, but he never did—and now claims there’s no need for one. He’s wrong. Ultimately, no matter how accurate the bombs may be, there is no substitute for diplomacy when it comes to dealing with Iran’s nuclear ambitions.