It appears that we are days away from the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), otherwise known as the Iran Deal, the infamous agreement on Iran’s nuclear program between the Islamic Republic and the U.S., U.K., Russia, China, France, and Germany that the Trump administration withdrew from.
Restoring the accord would have grave geopolitical consequences for the wider region and be a boon for America’s adversaries. But one unappreciated aspect of the pact’s resurrection is how it could benefit Democrats politically.
As soon as the deal is inked, Iran can increase its oil production by as much as 900,000 barrels daily, easing supply pressures significantly and bringing down prices in global energy markets. If crude-oil prices drop, prices at the pump will come down with them.
Lower gas prices would be a much-needed reprieve for consumers, but would also benefit Democrats politically in the run-up to the midterms. And achieving that desired outcome in this manner strengthens a regime hostile to the U.S. while enabling Biden and Democrats to escape the blame for the consequences of their policies, which are hostile to U.S. energy independence and incentivize foreign energy producers over domestic fossil-fuel production.
Now they think they can have their cake and eat it too: Reorient U.S. Middle East policy along pro-Iran lines — a longtime goal of the Obama administration, now sought by Biden — and get low gas prices.
This could help explain why the administration has been so quick to disregard the pleadings of our closest ally in the region, Israel, and do something that former national-security adviser John Bolton says is a “stunning mistake.”