The Iranian crisis has reached a point where Washington faces a strategic choice of historic importance.
asserted
Washington → reach → importance
For decades, successive American administrations have sought to contain the Islamic Republic through sanctions, diplomacy, negotiations, and intermittent military pressure.
asserted
administrations → seek → sanctions
Iran has continued developing its military capabilities, supporting armed groups across the Middle East, threatening its neighbors, taking hostages, attacking dissidents abroad, and challenging international shipping.
asserted
Iran → continue → shipping
The central question is whether the United States continues to manage the Iranian problem or begins addressing its underlying cause.
asserted
States → continue → cause
Recent developments have demonstrated the character of the regime with unusual clarity.
asserted
developments → demonstrate → clarity
The announcement by Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami, the Iranian army commander in chief, of a bounty for the killing or capture of American service members represents a chilling escalation.
asserted
announcement → represent → escalation
A government offering money for attacks on foreign soldiers is behaving like a revolutionary organization rather than a responsible member of the international community.
asserted
government → offer → community
For Washington, such threats require a response extending beyond diplomatic protest.
asserted
threats → require → protest
The first requirement is sustained economic pressure.
asserted
requirement → sustain → ?
Inflation has surged, purchasing power has collapsed, and the currency has suffered a dramatic decline.
asserted
currency → surge → decline
Food prices have risen sharply while ordinary Iranians struggle with an economy distorted by corruption, military expenditure, sanctions, and decades of ideological mismanagement.
asserted
Iranians → rise → mismanagement
Economic pressure should reduce the resources available to institutions responsible for repression, terrorism, and regional aggression, while making clear that the burden falls upon the ruling establishment rather than the Iranian people.
asserted
falls → reduce → establishment
Its security cannot be treated as a bargaining chip available to Tehran whenever the regime seeks leverage over Washington or its allies.
asserted
regime → treat → Washington
Any attempt to close or disrupt the waterway would affect energy markets, international trade, and the economic security of countries across the world.
asserted
attempt → close → world
America, therefore, has a direct strategic interest in ensuring that freedom of navigation remains protected.
asserted
freedom → have → navigation
Third, Washington needs to strengthen its campaign against the institutions through which the Iranian regime conducts its international activities.
asserted
regime → need → activities
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, and associated financial and criminal networks provide the infrastructure for repression at home and coercion abroad.
asserted
Corps → associate → home
Iran’s activities increasingly extend beyond the Middle East.
asserted
activities → extend → East
Dissidents have faced assassination and kidnapping plots in Europe and North America, while hostage-taking has become an instrument of state policy.
asserted
taking → face → policy
These activities require a coordinated response involving intelligence agencies, financial authorities, law enforcement, and America’s democratic allies.
asserted
activities → require → agencies
Fourth, Washington should distinguish between the Iranian state and the Iranian people.
asserted
Washington → distinguish → state
The Iranian population has repeatedly demonstrated opposition to the theocratic system.
asserted
population → demonstrate → system
Waves of protest have exposed deep public anger over corruption, repression, economic deprivation, and political exclusion.
asserted
Waves → expose → corruption
The U.S., therefore, needs a policy that applies maximum pressure to the institutions of dictatorship while maintaining maximum communication with the Iranian population.
asserted
that → need → population
That means ensuring access to information, supporting internet freedom, and making clear that America has no quarrel with the Iranian people.
asserted
has → mean → people
Pressure alone cannot determine what comes after the Islamic Republic, and military action cannot substitute for a political alternative.
asserted
action → determine → alternative
President Donald Trump should therefore recognize the political significance of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran and Maryam Rajavi, whose movement presents itself as an organized democratic alternative to the clerical regime.
asserted
movement → recognize → regime
The National Council of Resistance of Iran, which includes the PMOI, has developed a political program, while Rajavi’s 10-point plan sets out principles including universal suffrage, free elections, gender equality, separation of religion and state, minority rights, and a democratic constitutional order.
asserted
plan → include → religion
The NCRI could provide an organized transitional framework following regime change, paving the way toward a new constitution and genuinely free elections.
uncertain
NCRI → provide → constitution
Ultimately, however, the legitimacy of any future government must come from the Iranian people.
asserted
legitimacy → come → people
Rajavi has addressed numerous European parliaments and political institutions.
asserted
Rajavi → address → parliaments
An invitation to Washington to address meetings of the Senate and House of Representatives would give American lawmakers an opportunity to hear directly from one of the principal organized opposition movements to the Islamic Republic.
asserted
invitation → address → Republic
It would also signal to Tehran that Washington is prepared to engage with those seeking a democratic alternative rather than perpetuating a relationship centered exclusively on the mullahs.
asserted
Washington → signal → mullahs
European governments have frequently pursued a more cautious approach toward Tehran, partly because of commercial interests, geographical proximity, and concerns about regional instability.
asserted
governments → pursue → instability
Yet Europe has also suffered directly from Iranian state terrorism, hostage-taking, assassination plots, and intimidation.
asserted
Europe → suffer → terrorism
America cannot solve the Iranian crisis alone.
asserted
America → solve → crisis
Britain, France, Germany, and the European Union possess important intelligence, financial, and diplomatic capabilities.
asserted
Britain → possess → capabilities
A coordinated trans-Atlantic strategy would make sanctions harder to evade and increase the consequences for Iranian officials involved in terrorism and repression.
asserted
sanctions → make → terrorism
Finally, Washington must decide what success means.
asserted
success → decide → what
If success means persuading Tehran to return temporarily to negotiations, the cycle can continue indefinitely.
asserted
cycle → mean → negotiations
…and 14 more, not listed.
