US, Iran, and Israel: No Chance of a Nuclear Deal After Recent Attack
Former national security adviser John Bolton expressed doubt on Friday about the possibility of a nuclear agreement between the US, Iran, or Israel, particularly after Israel’s recent significant military operation aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
“There’s no chance we would ever come to an agreement that we’d find acceptable,” Bolton remarked. He has been a vocal critic of the nuclear deal drawn up under the Obama administration.
Bolton emphasized, “We didn’t even give diplomacy a real chance. Considering Iran’s intentions, there’s no way diplomacy was going to work.”
The Israeli attack occurred without backing from the US and came after former President Trump had advocated strongly for a negotiated agreement. Following the military strike, Iran announced its withdrawal from negotiations that were scheduled for the upcoming weekend.
The 2015 agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan, was a compromise that offered sanctions relief to Iran in exchange for dismantling portions of its nuclear program. Key participants in the deal included the UN Security Council’s permanent members: China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US.
Critics, however, argue that the deal allows Iran to maintain a private nuclear program and does little to curb its uranium enrichment capabilities. Trump has previously abandoned the agreement in 2018, and Israel had also voiced strong opposition to it, claiming it was overly lenient.
Trump has since urged Iran to negotiate its nuclear program to avert further escalation of tensions.
In light of Israel’s attack, he made a post on Truth Social, noting, “There have already been great deaths and destruction, but there is still time to avoid further bloodshed. The next planned attack is even more severe and imminent.”
The strike targeted Iran’s largest uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, resulting in the deaths of prominent military figures, including Hossein Salami, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. Additionally, reports indicate that two leading Iranian nuclear scientists lost their lives in the assault.
