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The Iran Deal Is Dead: Politicians Should Commit to a New Agreement that Might Actually Work
(Bloomberg) Editorial - The 2015 nuclear deal with Iran was fatally flawed. Critics said it ignored Iran's destabilizing activities in the region and feared the regime would use the political cover provided by the deal to step up its threatening behavior. They were right. Since the deal, Iran has only grown more belligerent. In Syria, it has helped President Assad slaughter his own citizens. In Lebanon and Gaza, Iraq and Yemen, it has continued to arm brutal proxy fighters. It has only intensified its pursuit of ballistic-missile technology and its cyberattacks against the U.S. If an agreement limited to nuclear weapons was too narrow in 2015, Iran's actions since have made such a deal entirely insufficient. A new deal should require Iran to forswear not only nuclear weapons, but also missiles capable of carrying them. It should demand that the regime cease its other threatening activities in the region and allow for more intrusive and aggressive monitoring than that stipulated in the original agreement. Presidential candidates should recognize that the Islamic Republic's actions have changed the facts on the ground, making a simple return to the terms of 2015 impossible.