Fear of Trump kept Iran in compliance of nuclear deal, says former Israeli security chief

“Everybody forgets the strongest, most credible military threat on the table that there ever was.”

By World Israel News Staff

Iranian leaders feared former President Donald Trump, and after the killing of a top Iranian general, Tehran adhered to the terms of the nuclear deal, a former top Israeli national security official said Tuesday.

Speaking with Channel 14, Jacob Nagel, former chief of Israel’s National Security Council and former acting National Security Advisor to then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that President Trump’s dramatic steps vis-à-vis Iran kept the Islamic regime in compliance with the nuclear deal – even after the U.S. withdrew from the agreement.

Nagel argued that while Iran has frequently violated its commitments in the past, when faced with a significant military threat, Tehran looks to avoid direct confrontation with the West – even if that means concessions in talks or compliance with restrictive agreements.

“Everybody forgets the strongest, most credible military threat on the table that there ever was,” Nagel said.

“When Trump pulled out of the deal, [Iran] began to violate it, but in January 2020, [General Qassem] Soleimani was eliminated, and from then until Biden’s election as president, the Iranians did not violate the agreement.”

“Why? Because there was a military threat and they were afraid.”

Initially following the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran deal in 2018, Nagel concedes, there were some Iranian violations of the agreement. But, he emphasized, following the Soleimani assassination, Iran remained in compliance with the deal’s provisions.

When Iran again abrogated the deal after Biden’s election, it did so far more egregiously than it had immediately after the U.S. withdrawal from the deal, Nagel claimed.

“Pay close attention to what happened. While there were a bit of violations, the real violations started after Biden came to power. Why? Because the Iranian doctrine rests on four legs. One, the Biden administration is weak; two, and incorrectly, [Iran believes] Israel sees the U.S. as weak and therefore Israel will not attack. Third, there is no credible military threat [against Iran], and fourth, [the Iranian] economy will survive.”

While military threats can help keep Iran from abrogating existing agreements, the West must also work towards a long-term solution, such as toppling the regime, he added.

To this end, Nagel drew from Ronald Reagan’s anti-Communist strategy aimed at ending the Cold War.

“Aside from the military threat, we need to do what was called the ‘Reagan Doctrine’ of 1976 on how to topple the Soviet Union. We need a doctrine for how to topple Iran economically and psychologically,” he said.

Biden AdministrationDonald TrumpIran nuclear dealJacob NagelQassem SoleimaniUS Mideast policy