The Withdrawal Method

With a tip of the hat to Keith Richards and Mick Jagger,

You can't always get what you want 
But if you try sometimes, well you might find 
You'll get what you need 

In 2015 the United States, and our allies, wanted many things from Iran.  But what we needed was reduction, and destruction, of nuclear weapon capabilities.  Through a vastly underrated feat of diplomacy, the Obama administration jointly imposed sanctions with the cooperation and participation of not only our allies, but also of Russia and China.  The sanctions brought Iran to the bargaining table.

An agreement was reached delaying Iranian development of nuclear weapons by at least a decade.  The US not only had to reach agreement with Iran, but keep China, Russia, France, Germany, England and the European Union on board.

Iran has complied.  In Trump's May 8th litany of grievances, notably absent was any claim that Iran violated the agreement.  The United States is now in violation of UN resolutions, to the dismay and consternation of our allies.

What happens next is uncertain.  Iran may continue in the agreement, driving a wedge between American and our allies.  We may impose sanctions on our allies if they fail to honor the latest Trump sanctions.  Or, Iran may justifiably leave the confines of dishonored diplomacy and resume nuclear weapons development.  A region destabilizing war, could be our future.

One thing is certain, withdrawal is not the most effective way to prevent pregnancy, and is the least effective method to prevent nuclear proliferation.