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How Iran's Deadly Tanker Attack Is Linked to the Nuclear Deal
(Foreign Policy) Robert Satloff - Washington, together with other maritime powers, is the ultimate guarantor of freedom of navigation in the world's oceans - a vital U.S. interest. It would be unwise to delink Iran's drone attack on the Mercer Street in international waters from the ongoing negotiations over a possible return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The U.S. decision to identify Iran as the culprit and promise, in the words of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, "an appropriate response," reflects an important stage in the debate over how Washington should act. Far from derailing a possible deal, a U.S. response to the attack would remove one of the main reasons the talks are stuck. Tehran and its proxies have been aggressively testing the White House and are likely to continue ratcheting up attacks. An effective U.S. response would affect Iran's calculus. Such a response might include targeting Revolutionary Guard naval bases, factories assembling or producing parts for military drones, or facilities supporting the export of weaponry to Iranian proxies. This would be a far cry from pinprick action against proxy groups and mere public declarations, both of which only invite further Iranian testing. Such a response would signal to U.S. regional allies that shrinking the U.S. military footprint in the Middle East does not mean Washington is shirking its role as a guarantor of international norms, including freedom of maritime navigation. The writer is executive director of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.