Destroying the Deal: How Trump Helped Advance Iran’s Nuclear Program

 By Robert Inlakesh

US President Donald Trump. (Photo: video grab)

US policies toward Iran—sanctions, diplomacy sabotage, and war—may have pushed Tehran closer than ever to acquiring nuclear weapons.

Key Takeaways

• The United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement despite international verification that Iran was complying.
• Washington’s “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign eroded diplomatic trust and intensified Iran’s nuclear enrichment efforts.
• Military escalation and attacks on nuclear facilities weakened international monitoring mechanisms.
• Iran’s cooperation with international inspectors deteriorated amid war and escalating sanctions pressure.
• Analysts argue US policy has unintentionally strengthened the strategic rationale for Iran to pursue nuclear deterrence.

From Nuclear Deal to Maximum Pressure

The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was designed to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief and international monitoring. The agreement placed strict limits on uranium enrichment levels, reduced Iran’s stockpile of enriched material, and allowed extensive inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Despite repeated verification that Iran was complying with the deal, the Trump administration withdrew the United States from the agreement in 2018 and reimposed sweeping sanctions.

The withdrawal triggered a gradual collapse of the diplomatic framework that had restrained Iran’s nuclear activities. Analysts warned that abandoning the deal could push Tehran to resume enrichment and reduce cooperation with international monitors.

Over the following years, Iran began expanding its uranium enrichment and nuclear research capabilities as the economic pressure campaign intensified. Critics of the withdrawal argue that the decision removed the strongest mechanisms preventing Iran from moving closer to nuclear weapons capability.

At the same time, attempts to revive the agreement repeatedly stalled. With trust eroded and sanctions still in place, diplomatic negotiations failed to restore the framework that once limited Iran’s nuclear program.

War, Escalation, and the Collapse of Oversight

Military escalation has further complicated efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation.

Following rising tensions and military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, Tehran sharply reduced cooperation with international monitoring mechanisms. Reports indicate that Iran eventually ended key arrangements allowing inspectors from the IAEA to verify the status of its nuclear program.

Without sustained inspection access, international experts say it has become significantly harder to assess the true state of Iran’s nuclear stockpiles and technological progress.

Meanwhile, continued sanctions pressure and threats of military action have reinforced a long-standing argument within Iran’s strategic community: that nuclear capability could serve as the ultimate deterrent against foreign intervention.

In this sense, critics contend that Washington’s strategy has produced a paradoxical outcome. Policies intended to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons may have instead strengthened the political and strategic logic inside Iran for pursuing them.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

– Robert Inlakesh is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. He focuses on the Middle East, specializing in Palestine. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.