As diplomatic flurries intensify between Washington and Tehran, the US, Israel, and, indeed, the whole world find themselves at a pivotal moment reminiscent of the pre-JCPOA era. With Qatari and Pakistani mediators shuffling between Miami and Tehran, and the world hanging on every word from the White House, a dangerous narrative is emerging, the suggestion that a partial, “interim” deal is better than no deal at all.

Trump Must Hold the Line and Force Tehran’s Complete Capitulation As someone analyzing the region through the unforgiving lens of Neoclassical Realism, I argue the opposite. President Trump must reject the siren song of temporary compromises. He must hold the line on the complete denuclearization and behavioral capitulation of the Islamic Republic. Concession now would not just be a diplomatic failure; it would be a strategic catastrophe.

There is a structural imperative to this, because while the international system (anarchy, distribution of power) sets the stage, it is the perception of threat and domestic political pressures that drive foreign policy. For decades, the U.S. misperceived Iran, treating a revolutionary theocracy as a standard state actor. The Biden/Obama-era JCPOA is the prime........

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