Iran deal can still be saved despite setbacks

On May 8, 2019, one year after the United States pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani set a 60-day limit for negotiations with the other signatories to the multilateral agreement. Early this month, Iran announced its stockpile of uranium has surpassed the 300-kilogram limit and its enrichment level is above 3.67 percent, suggesting it is set to go back on the other commitments it had made while signing the deal.

With the US intent on putting "maximum pressure" on Iran, which its European allies are less enamored of, and Iran determined to take countermeasures, the future of the Iran nuclear deal appears uncertain. In order to "contain" Iran, the US has issued several strategic documents including the National Security Strategy and Nuclear Posture Review reports, which portray Iran as one of the biggest threats to US national security.

The US' policies to contain Iran include laying a military siege and imposing economic sanctions on Iran, and isolating it from the international community. After exiting the nuclear deal (or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), the US began imposing or renewing sanctions on Iran. In April, the US announced it would withdraw sanctions immunity to some countries and regions that import Iranian oil, in order to cripple Iran's oil exports. In June, Washington began massing troops in the Gulf of Persia, and for a time it seemed a US-Iran war was imminent.