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The Takeaway: January 8, 2020

Highlights: US-Iran diplomacy could use an assist; Russian president continues campaign to build Russian role in region amid US-Iran crisis; Iraqi Kurdish leaders in US-Iran crossfire; and more!

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a statement about Iran flanked by U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Vice President Mike Pence and military leaders in the Grand Foyer at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 8, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC2SBE92V1RE
US President Donald Trump delivers a statement about Iran flanked by US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Vice President Mike Pence and military leaders in the Grand Foyer at the White House in Washington, DC, January 8, 2020 — Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
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Three quick takes:
 
 
 

1. Trump offers Iran cooperation on Islamic State, but diplomacy needs an assist

 

US President Donald Trump said today that “Iran appears to be standing down” following Iran’s attack on US bases in Iraq, which led to no American or Iraqi casualties. Trump added that the United States “is ready to work together” with Iran to combat the Islamic State (IS) and on “other shared priorities.”

 

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also signaled a pause, tweeting after the missile barrage last night that Iran had “concluded proportionate measures in self-defense” under the UN Charter, adding that “we do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.”

 

Missiles and nukes: With its attack on Iraq, Iran again showed off its ballistic missile capabilities, to the alarm of the region. The Trump administration has declared that restrictions on missiles need to be part of a new and more expansive nuclear agreement with Iran. Along with the attack on the Saudi Aramco oil processing facilities in September, Iran has now hit two key US regional partners with missiles and drones in just four months. Given Iran’s capabilities, it probably could have targeted Americans in Iraq this week, but didn’t, preferring instead a demonstration effect and a sign of restraint.

 

Perhaps more alarming, in the long run, is Zarif’s tweet Jan. 5 that Iran will no longer abide restrictions on the number of centrifuges it develops in its nuclear program. With both Iran and the United States retreating from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran nuclear deal, the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapons breakout has increased.

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