How Trump can get Iran to behave | Letter
Iran fully understands the domestic and international constraints on President Trump’s possible actions. It is now masterfully using this knowledge.
The U.S. can successfully counteract this only if Trump can meaningfully reconnect with the U.S.’ traditional allies. He needs to tell NATO and the Gulf Cooperation Council that the U.S. wants to establish, but not control, a Gulf Users Coalition. This coalition should have a formal organization, military resources and funding for Iranian reconstruction loans. (The Gulf Cooperation Council is composed of six Gulf nations led by Saudi Arabia and was founded in 1981.)
Most importantly, after full discussion within this coalition, it would speak with only one voice — not those of Trump, the U.S. or NATO. All policies and actions would be those of the coalition.
Objectives would be:
- Apply stringent economic sanctions on Iran.
- Establish working relationships with Iranian dissident groups and supply them with weapons.
- With intelligence from them, and the U.S. and NATO militaries, prevent Iran’s Revolutionary Guard from exerting any military pressure on others.
- Return the Strait of Hormuz to being a free international waterway.
- Closely monitor Iran’s nuclear program.
The achievement of these coalition objectives will convince Iran, probably within a limited timeframe, that it should work with the coalition, not continue to oppose it. Benefits to Iran would be the lifting of sanctions and redevelopment loans. The makeup of the Iranian government would, in all likelihood, be more inclusive.
It will be most difficult for President Trump in particular to let the coalition take the lead without his public commentary, but this must be the new reality. Since it would be very politically advantageous for him, given the U.S.’ current adverse situation, he may agree to this new strategy.
Raymond Tillman
Westbrook
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Tagged: letter to the editor
