While China and Russia get most of the headlines in international affairs, the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran continues to grow by the day. Earlier this year, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran potentially already has enough enriched uranium to produce a full-scale atomic weapon. This development has prompted some foreign policy experts to warn that Iran could soon hold the keys to nuclear Armageddon if they are not stopped or deterred. In the meantime, the Biden administration continues its ineffective policy of talking tough while pursuing aimless diplomacy.
Iran's nuclear advancement is a frightening situation, but one that remains shrouded in mystery. "Nobody knows exactly when they'll have the capacity to actually make the first nuclear bomb, but one thing is certain: it's far more close today than it has ever been," says Jeff Addicott, director of the Warrior Defense Project at St. Mary's University in San Antonio.
Further complicating matters is the growing relationship between Iran and Russia. "Russia certainly has the capability to assist them in the final phases of building a nuclear weapon," says Addicott. "So that partnership is absolutely a disaster for U.S. foreign relations and stability in the region."
The Biden administration has not ruled out military action to stop Iran from getting a nuke, but a more likely scenario involves Israel, which is directly threatened by a nuclear Iran. "The Israelis would use military force long before we ever will," says Addicott.
Nevertheless, Addicott believes there is still a way to stop Iran without using military force. "You do embargoes, you do sanctions---either unilaterally or with our allies---to force them to the negotiating table, to get rid of their nuclear ambitions," he tells KTRH. "That's the only way you're going to stop Iran, is with a big stick...not with the negotiating mechanism this administration has tried and failed with the last three years."