US Shouldn’t Let Iran Ceasefire Go to Waste
The White House should remember that a negotiated settlement would restrain the Iranian nuclear program far longer than airstrikes will.
It’s the only way.
Photographer: Alex Wroblewski/AFP/Getty Images
After days of airstrikes and missile barrages that raised the prospect of a regional conflagration, the fact that Israel and Iran have agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire is worth celebrating. Even if it holds, though, it’s only the first step toward what should be the administration’s main goal: a negotiated settlement that puts real, lasting restraints on the Iranian nuclear program.
US actions over the past few days may have strengthened its hand. Over the weekend, American forces rained down bunker-busting bombs and Tomahawk missiles on Iran’s three main nuclear installations at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, causing “extremely severe damage,” according to the Defense Department. Although Iran could have relocated uranium stockpiles and centrifuges, those sites themselves may now be unusable. US forces took no fire and suffered no casualties.