The following piece was published in Responsible Statecraft and was written by Ryan Costello, Policy Director of the National Iranian American Council.
What Harris and Trump should say about Iran
Tonight’s debate offers both candidates the chance to get real about how to deal with Tehran
The Biden administration entered office in 2021 with a clear mandate on Iran: Joe Biden had run in opposition to the Trump administration’s scuttling of the 2015 nuclear deal struck under Barack Obama, and vowed to restore the agreement.
While President Biden made good on other campaign pledges to reverse harmful Trump policies, including to repeal the Muslim ban and rejoin the Paris Climate Accord, on Iran, Biden’s pledge fell flat. By failing to move decisively to rejoin the deal, the political space for a restoration of the accord evaporated, all while Iran’s nuclear program advanced, Iran’s government grew even more repressive and regional tensions accelerated.
This failure to break from Trump’s Iran policy and instead act as its steward has allowed Trump to attack Biden, and now Kamala Harris, as too soft on Iran. Under Trump’s false portrayal of events, his exit from the nuclear deal and the snapback of sanctions made Iran go “broke,” depriving it of funds that it could have instead used for terrorism. He suggests Biden then eased the sanctions, allowing groups like Hamas to plan and then execute the October 7 attacks and risking a broader war. It might be a compelling tale, but it is total fiction.
Harris shouldn’t try to out-hawk Trump on Iran. Unfortunately, there have been some worrying signs that this could be the plan. Recently, a Harris campaign social media account criticized Trump for suggesting he might lift sanctions on Iran, even though Harris — along with Biden, Walz and a majority of Democrats — rightly opposed his decision to exit the nuclear deal and impose maximum pressure sanctions on Iran in 2018.