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The Nuclear Deal and “Iranian Imperialism”

Like every other objection that Iran hawks make, Gerson's complaint about "funding Iranian imperialism" ignores the consequences of rejecting the deal.
javad zarif / iran

Michael Gerson makes a typical hawkish criticism of the deal with Iran:

This agreement will fund Iranian imperialism — while creating disincentives for the United States to confront it.

This is one of the more disingenuous and misleading complaints against the nuclear deal. Iran hawks pretend as if there were a simple choice between depriving Iran of extra resources and going ahead with the nuclear deal. The reality is that Iran would soon gain access to additional funds one way or the other. The question is whether Iran will agree to limit its nuclear program or not. In the absence of an agreement, the international sanctions regime on Iran would weaken and collapse in the near future, and whatever funds Iran wants to use to support its allies and proxies would still be made available to them. So opposing the deal in no way restrains or counters Iranian regional activities, but it does fail to impose restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. Like every other objection that Iran hawks make, Gerson’s complaint about “funding Iranian imperialism” ignores the consequences of rejecting the deal.

It is also very misleading to refer to “Iranian imperialism” at the same time when the Saudis and their GCC allies are actively fomenting rebellion in Syria and bombing Yemen, so readers should be wary of anyone framing opposition to the deal in these terms. Regardless, if countering Iranian influence is a priority it is important to understand that opposing the deal won’t have any effect on how much influence Iran wields in these other countries. Iran hawks consistently overstate the extent of Tehran’s influence in the rest of the region, and they are reliably wrong about the policies that will undermine it. If they claim that the nuclear deal will strengthen Iran throughout the region, it is very likely that the opposite is closer to the truth.

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