US Military Threats Toward Iran Do Not Work
Seyed Hossein Mousavian and Shahir ShahidSaless write that demonstrating good will, such as sanctions relief, would be the best option for a peaceful, diplomatic resolution to the nuclear negotiations with Iran.
Statements by the US officials threatening to attack Iran militarily are ineffectual if not counterproductive. On March 3 at the annual AIPAC conference, Vice President Joe Biden threatened military intervention and declared, “We mean it. And let me repeat it: We … mean it.” Biden’s approach was in line with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s message to the same conference asserting that only credible military threat will stop Iran from pursuing its nuclear program.
During President Obama’s visit to Israel in March, he told reporters: “The United States will continue to consult closely with Israel on next steps. And I will repeat, all options are on the table.” And in the latest development the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to endorse Resolution 65, affirming that the United States will go to war with Iran in case Israel does.
