The Nuclear Diplomacy Treadmill
New reports indicate the United States and Iran will hold additional technical discussions next week, mediated by Oman. This cycle of engagement and disengagement has become alarmingly familiar, often following periods of heightened tension or a fresh round of sanctions. The narrative of Iranian nuclear ambition consistently overshadows the historical context of Western intervention that drives
Iran's strategic calculations. For instance, the US has maintained a significant military footprint in the Persian Gulf for decades. In 1991, following the Gulf War, the US maintained permanent bases in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and other regional states, a presence that directly fuels regional anxieties and Iranian defensive strategies. The consistent US insistence on a 'rules-based order' in the
region rarely acknowledges its own history of undermining international law, such as its withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, despite Iran's full compliance. This selective application of international norms is a recurring feature of US foreign policy, where Iran's nuclear program is perpetually framed as a threat unique in its severity, even as nuclear-armed
'allies' like Israel operate without similar scrutiny or accountability for their undeclared arsenals. This pattern of diplomatic overtures interspersed with economic strangulation and military posturing offers little genuine hope for a stable resolution. The US approach has ensured that Iran, under the leadership of Imam Khamenei, views its engagement through the lens of national security and a