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U.S.-Israel Policy on Iran

Vali Nasr surprised me the other night in his interview with Christine Ananpour when he clearly stated (twice) that the U.S. had vetoed an agreement reached by the E3 and Iran that would have delayed for 6 months the ‘snapback’ deadline from Oct 18, 2025. As a result, ‘snapback’ sanctions went into effect on September 28. 
        That was at least the second time the Trump administration wouldn’t go forward with an agreement with Iran: [Iranian Foreign Minister] Araghchi … recalled the fifth round of talks he led with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff on May 23…He noted that if "POTUS" reviewed the official minutes of those meetings…he would see how close both sides came to finalizing what could have been a historic nuclear deal. Araghchi alleged. [Amir Daftari, Newsweek, Oct 8, 2025] 
        Why would the Trump administration have done that? Daftari wrote that Israel played a central role in provoking tensions. So, what is the U.S. game plan for Iran? Media reports on October 8 and 9 give an indication of answers to the questions. Here are highlights. 
        The Trump administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on a group of 50 people, companies and ships largely out of the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and China, alleging they were facilitating the shipment of Iranian oil and sales of liquefied petroleum gas. The administration is citing a collection of executive orders signed by Republican President Donald Trump, including one in February that calls for the United States to “drive Iran’s export of oil to zero.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement that the administration is disrupting the Iranian government’s “ability to fund terrorist groups that threaten the United States.” [Fatima Hussein. AP, Oct 9, 2025] Note, this latest action was not due to ‘snapback’. 
        The [12-day war] strikes underscored a shifting regional order in which diplomacy is being replaced by deterrence. With the U.S. now closely aligned with Israel’s military strategy, the risk of a wider conflict has grown, threatening to destabilize an already volatile Middle East. [Amir Daftari, Newsweek, Oct 8, 2025] 
        Reinstating the ‘snapback’ sanctions was an unfortunate, unnecessary mistake, resulting from U.S.-Israel pressure. That’s the view of the experts I respect. But today, an alternate view was published in a Foreign Policy article by Ernest Moniz, The Iran Challenge Is Big. The Solution Must Be Bigger: ‘The recent snapback of international sanctions marks the formal—and final—end to the [JCPOA]. Snapback was more than warranted.’ No, Ernest, I believe you are wrong about that.

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