A Measured Conversation on Iran
How do we stop Iran from getting a nuke?
Let’s start with the obvious: Iran isn’t the good guy here. Stopping them from getting a nuclear weapon is a good thing. The real debate isn’t whether, it’s how.
This week, Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. His Secretary of Defense called it a “final blow,” claiming the program had been “completely and totally obliterated.”
That was a lie. U.S. officials now admit that Tehran's stockpile of enriched uranium, enough to build up to ten nuclear bombs, remains unaccounted for.
What really happened?
Credible reporting paints a different picture:
Iran’s program may have been set back 6 to 12 months—not destroyed.
Before the strike, Iran had 400 kg of 60% enriched uranium. If pushed to 90% (weapons-grade), that’s enough for ten nuclear warheads.
Iran’s centrifuge production was already relocated to a new underground site, which was not hit.
Best-case scenario? A short delay and a restrained Iranian response, limited to today’s coordinated missile barrage on U.S. bases in Qatar. Worst-case? Iran goes underground and races to a bomb.
Either way, this was short-term thinking at the expense of long-term security.
What We Should Be Doing.
The JCPOA.
There’s a lot of noise right now blaming Obama’s Iran deal. The far-right is trying to pin everything on the JCPOA—even October 7th. The argument is: Obama weak, Trump strong. It’s total nonsense.
Here’s what you should know about Obama’s Iran deal:
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was an international agreement that:
Capped Iran’s uranium stockpile
Limited enrichment to 3.67%
Cut centrifuges by two-thirds
Gave inspectors 24/7 access through the IAEA
And it worked. Every credible source confirmed Iran was complying. Then Trump pulled out in 2018.
That single decision ended inspections, removed enrichment limits, and pushed Iran back toward the shadows.
Trump offered no alternative—just “maximum pressure” and now, airstrikes.
Want proof this ends badly? Look at North Korea.
Compare North Korea to Iran.
North Korea withdrew from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, kicked out inspectors, disappeared from diplomacy, and reemerged with a bomb.
Iran under the JCPOA was above ground, monitored, and incentivized to comply. Now they have every reason to follow North Korea’s playbook.
A hidden Iranian nuclear program puts us all in danger. We are closer to that today than we were before the US strikes.
In Conclusion:
Trump may have bought a few months. But it came at the cost of long-term stability. If we’re serious about stopping Iran from going nuclear, we need to rebuild international pressure, restore inspections, and offer real incentives to comply.
The JCPOA did that.
Trump’s bombs didn’t.
How to talk about this:
You don’t need to be a foreign policy expert. Just remember three key points:
Trump lied. The bombing didn’t destroy Iran’s nuclear program. It barely delayed it, and might accelerate it.
Diplomacy worked. It kept Iran below weapons-grade thresholds with full inspections. Trump blew that up.
We’re less safe now. We’ve replaced transparency with escalation, and we’re flying blind.
And the biggest danger? We’re showing the world that diplomacy isn’t worth it. If you follow the rules, America will still punish you. That if you hide your program, like North Korea, you’re safer.
Sources:
https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/international/pentagon-briefing-on-us-attacks-on-iranian-nuclear-facilities/
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/uranium-stockpile-still-in-iran-hands-after-strikes-what-us-officials-said-8738481
https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/chronology-us-north-korean-nuclear-and-missile-diplomacy-1985-2022
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Comprehensive_Plan_of_Action
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-iran-nuclear-deal
https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-iran-us-strikes-06-23-25-intl-hnk
Trump is the greatest threat to world peace since his boss Putin and his hero Hitler. Trump's reckless actions have increased the likelihood that Iran will develop nuclear weapons. He has put American lives at risk and destabilized, the region and increased the chances of armed conflict increasing across the globe. We don't need a leader who only knows how to pour gas, and not water on the fire. If we want to stop Iran, we have to remove Trump from power. He is escalating conflicts instead of resolving them.