To read the full report, click here.
Washington, D.C. — Today, as the United States and its international partners prepare to resume negotiations with Iran over its suspect nuclear program, the Center for American Progress released a report, “Strengthening America’s Options on Iran,” a report highlighting ten key questions that should be asked in the debate over America’s policy options on Iran.
The United States is entering these talks with the strategic high ground and three years of diplomacy by the Obama administration, resulting in unprecedented international pressure on Iran to live up to its nuclear responsibilities. Iran could end this standoff by agreeing to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency and answer all outstanding questions about the nature and purpose of its nuclear efforts. But in the absence of such actions, the Obama administration and a nation as a whole should conduct their due diligence on Iran policy options to avoid the false choice between bombing Iran and an Iranian bomb.
This report discusses 10 key factors that the United States must consider, which include:
- What is the best estimate for the time it would take for Iran to develop a nuclear bomb and operational delivery system?
- What are the impacts of international sanctions on Iran’s economy and nuclear program?
- What impact are sanctions and Iranian threats having on world oil markets and transit chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz?
- Can Israel realistically attack Iran’s nuclear sites, and how would Iranian-supported terrorist groups react?
- What might the negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 countries produce, and what additional diplomacy is required?
The answers to these questions, supported by sound analysis and solid facts and figures, will better inform a policy debate in the United States that is too often driven by partisan politics and easy sound bites. Armed with the information these answers provide, the United States can use the right tools at the right time to achieve the ultimate goal of an Iran verifiably not seeking nuclear weapons.
To read the full report, click here.
To speak to CAP Senior Fellow Brian Katulis about the upcoming talks or about this report, please contact Christina DiPasquale at 202.481.8181 or [email protected].
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