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America has spent over a decade attempting to negotiate with the Islamic Republic of Iran. From Obama’s JCPOA to Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign and now renewed talks under Trump’s second term, the pattern remains: Iran makes promises it doesn’t keep, while the U.S. oscillates between diplomacy and sanctions.
Washington still doesn’t grasp the fundamental truth: the mullahs don’t keep promises—except those made to Allah.
The JCPOA: Hope and Delusion
In 2015, President Obama hailed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as a landmark deal to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The agreement imposed limitations on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting economic sanctions. However, critics argued that the deal failed to address Iran’s ballistic missile program and regional influence. Moreover, the deal’s sunset clauses meant that key restrictions would expire over time, potentially allowing Iran to resume its nuclear activities legally.
While Obama flew pallets of cash to Tehran in the dark, Iran was busy funding Hezbollah, arming Hamas, and butchering Syrians through the Quds Force.
Trump’s Exit and Pressure Campaign
In 2018, President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the JCPOA, citing its shortcomings and Iran’s continued support for militant groups in the Middle East. The administration reimposed sanctions, aiming to pressure Iran into negotiating a more comprehensive deal. While this approach significantly impacted Iran’s economy, it also led Tehran to resume uranium enrichment beyond JCPOA limits, bringing it closer to weapons-grade levels.
Biden’s Attempted Revival
President Biden initially signaled a willingness to return to the JCPOA, but negotiations stalled over disagreements on sanctions relief and Iran’s nuclear activities. Iran demanded the lifting of all sanctions before complying with the deal’s terms, while the U.S. insisted on Iran’s compliance first. This impasse, coupled with Iran’s continued nuclear advancements, rendered the deal’s revival increasingly unlikely.
Trump’s Second Term: A Policy in Whiplash
Now, in Trump’s second term, the signals are scrambled. After running on a platform of toughness, the administration has stunned observers by floating new talks with Iran—even sending a personal message to Supreme Leader Khamenei through unofficial channels.
Trump’s special envoy for Iran, Steve Witkoff—a real estate attorney with no diplomatic background—has been accused of alienating allies, delivering mixed messages, and failing to define a coherent strategy. One day it’s “let’s sit down and talk.” The next, Iran faces new rounds of sanctions or veiled military threats.
Just recently, Iran accused the U.S. of “contradictory behavior and provocative statements,” citing backchannel proposals followed immediately by Treasury sanctions on Iranian banks and officials.
Meanwhile, Trump himself stated in a campaign-style rally that “we will never let Iran go nuclear,” while his administration quietly signals openness to a “limited freeze” in exchange for sanctions relief.
The result? Strategic incoherence. Tehran smells weakness—and buys time.
The Core Issue: Iran’s Ideological DNA Is Anti-Western
The foundational mistake of every Western administration is this: they treat Iran as a normal state actor. It’s not.
The Islamic Republic is a revolutionary theocracy committed to exporting Shia jihad, not just regionally, but globally. This is not paranoia. This is stated doctrine, enshrined in their Constitution and reinforced daily in state media, sermons, and policy.
- Supreme Leader Khamenei has repeatedly called for “death to America” and insists that negotiations are merely a “tactic of war.”
- IRGC General Qassem Soleimani (killed in 2020) was responsible for arming militias that killed over 600 U.S. troops in Iraq using EFPs (explosively formed penetrators), according to Pentagon estimates.
- Iran funds Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Houthis, and militias in Iraq and Syria—all designated terrorist organizations.
- In 2023, Iran-backed militias launched over 150 drone and rocket attacks on U.S. bases across the Middle East, injuring dozens of service members.
- The U.S. State Department has called Iran the world’s “leading state sponsor of terrorism” for decades—and with good reason.
Even now, as Trump officials posture toward diplomacy, Iran continues enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels, refuses IAEA inspections, and publicly threatens retaliation against Israel and the Gulf States.
Their promises at the negotiating table are taqiyya—the Islamic doctrine of religiously sanctioned deception, especially in dealings with non-Muslims.
Iran doesn’t compromise. It re-calibrates.
And in that time, it builds.
Conclusion: It Will Never Work
No agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran will ever succeed—not because of Western failure, but because of Islamic intent. The regime is ideologically committed to confrontation, to martyrdom, to the annihilation of Israel and the slow bleeding of American power.
Obama thought charm would work. Biden thought an apology would help. Trump tried sanctions, then sent envoys. The pattern is clear: they play for time, we play for headlines.
The United States must stop treating Iran like a misunderstood nation with grievances and start recognizing it for what it is: an ideological regime that seeks our collapse.
We don’t need a deal.
We need clarity.
Until the regime falls, no piece of paper signed in Vienna or Doha will stop Iran’s jihad.
Because the only agreement the mullahs honor is their pledge to Allah—and that pledge doesn’t include peace with infidels.
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