The Regional Implications of a Nuclear Deal with Iran

BROOKINGS

In the coming months, Congress is likely to have to make a choice: either endorse an agreement that removes sanctions but should ensure a nuclear weapons-free Iran for at least ten-to-fifteen years; or reject the agreement, which would leave Iran three months from a nuclear weapon under eroding sanctions. In making that choice, Congress will need to take into account that the Iranian nuclear deal will have profound ripple effects across the troubled Middle East region. The nuclear agreement was never intended to deal with the likely consequences of the sanctions relief—namely a monetary windfall for the government in Tehran. There is every reason to believe that at least some of this windfall will enhance the capacity of problematic Iranian forces such as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and problematic proxies like Hezbollah, the Assad regime and Shia militias in Iraq.

Link to the article