I believe what Eldar Mamedov writes always hits the target and is worth considering. He visited Tehran and posted in The American Conservative   his dispatch. First, I give an encapsulation of his argument on Iran. Then I will add some comments. Mamedov Dispatch            Tehran is hunkering down, not buckling. Iran is prepared for round two ( the importance and credibility of Iran’s missile capabilities has been proven ). But Iran is convinced that a diplomatic solution could still be found, although the path through Washington remains blocked. ( This could involve the regional consortium for uranium enrichment, in which Iran would enrich up to around four percent while its stockpiles of high enriched uranium would be shipped abroad ).            Now, Iran is trapped in a diplomatic dead end of Washington’s making. The current path is a sucker’s bet: Iran faces severe punishment for maintaining a “ threshold ” ...

Iran getting itself in the position of being a nuclear threshold state is a major part of the Iran nuclear conundrum. How to deal with an NPT threshold state has not been addressed in the framework of the NPT nonproliferation regime. And Iran is using that to its advantage.            Ray Takeyh has just given us his view in an article titled Trump’s Middle East Order in Foreign Affairs on Dec 4, 2025. Here is an encapsulation of what he writes about Iran and the U.S.            A menacing Iran sits near the nuclear threshold. The Islamic Republic is a problem to be managed, not wished away. The best way to get results with Tehran is through force.            Trump’s biggest accomplishment was the June 2025 strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The Iranian nuclear program has not been obliterated. The Iranian threat has been diminished. Trump, instead of continuing to menace Tehran...