Diplomacy Alone Won’t End the Iranian Threat

Supporters of the Obama administration’s Iran deal have tended to argue that “diplomacy” is the only answer to the threats posed by Tehran. Asked about their Iran policies, the Democrats running for the party’s 2020 presidential nomination all stress the need to either re-enter the deal or refocus on diplomacy.

“I would rejoin the agreement and use our renewed commitment to diplomacy to work with our allies,” Joe Biden told the New York Times. “What I would do is negotiate — I would bring people together just as President Obama did years ago,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar at a Democratic debate last month. Senator Bernie Sanders has said that the U.S. must strengthen diplomatic capabilities and join with other countries to “work out our differences through debate.”