The United States has seen tensions recently elevate with both Russia and China, which is nothing new these days. However, you can now add Iran back into that mix, as foreign intelligence reports suggest the Islamic Republic is now close to testing their first nuclear weapons.
National Security Analyst Edward Turzanski says plenty of things played into this, but none bigger than Democrats, like Obama and President Joe Biden, easing sanctions against the nation.
"That gives the Iranians the means to pursue, not only outright development of the nuke, but also, dual-use technology acquisition," he says. "That being items that can be used for both nuclear, and non-nuclear purposes. They keep trying to get pieces of technology which have nuclear applications."
Everyone remembers the nuclear deal that Obama entered with the nation, which effectively bolstered their efforts at nuclear capability. That was a deal that Donald Trump nixed almost immiedately when he got into office.
Now Obama's former Vice President, the now-President Joe Biden, wants to get back into that deal, engaging in secret negotiations to do so.
"We know they made significant nuclear strides during the Obama Administration...now, with Biden, we continue providing information," he says. "The Iranians have endured sancitons and difficulties to acquire this...because once they have this, it is a game changer."
What makes it a game changer? For starters, the threat it poses to the United States' ability to keep peace at home, and in the Middle East.
"Because the Iranians will know...when they have this...that we will be very hesistant to confront them directly, for fear of what they might do with the nuke," he says.
The conversation of nuclear weapon advancement is always a serious thing, but this creates a new player in the field of U.S. enemies. Rice University professor Richard Stoll says it is of great concern, especially with how unfriendly the relationship is between America and the Iranians.
"There is no question they are a bad actor, there is no question they are developed enough, and have the basic facilities, to build nuclear weapons," he says.
Of course, the United States is not the only player in this game. We mentioned the Middle East, and how Iranian nuclear weaponry could destabilize an already tense region. Notably, Israel and Iran have always had conflicting views.
"If I were an official in the Israeli government, would I be concerned about Iran? Absolutely," he says. "Iran does many things that Israel and others do not like...without a deal in place, I would be deeply concerned."
Israel has preemptively attacked nuclear facilities in years past. Specifically in 1981, with a plan called 'Operation Opera,' Israel destroyed an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor near Baghdad. The Israeli's hailed the operation as 'a precedent for every future government in Israel.'
Would they take that action again? It is possible, but it does not solve the overarching problem.
"It does not eliminate their ability to build. It would just slow them down...they may have to rebuild facilities, hide them better, and all that...but the issue is that it is not a permanent solution," he says. "They may delay their ability to build, but they cannot eliminate it with any particular military action."
Both Stoll and Turzanski agree that the United States needs to pay close attention and impose sanctions to prevent Iranians from proceeding with their nuclear capabilities.
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