Washington, DC – Ryan Costello, Policy Director with the National Iranian American Council, issued the following statement on diplomatic progress toward ending the Iran war following the Pakistani-Qatari brokered negotiations in Switzerland yesterday, including reports of potential renewed IAEA inspections, and the issuance of a waiver allowing Iran to sell oil:
“What we are seeing emerge is a virtuous cycle replacing a vicious cycle. Whereas before the U.S. and Iran were firing at one another and blockading vital sea routes, now the U.S. and Iran are engaging in the painstaking work of creating a new diplomatic architecture and allowing free trade to go forward.
“There’s no easy way to end a war, and we’ve seen many other failed conflicts entangle the U.S. like quicksand, preventing the U.S. from extricating itself. Whether Trump can avoid the traps that befell George W. Bush in Iraq and Lyndon B. Johnson in Vietnam remains to be seen. But doing so requires trading in key leverage for concrete concessions. We are seeing that now with the issuance of key oil waivers that will allow Iran to increase its oil exports, which should benefit the global economy as a whole and American consumers alike. By putting such concessions on the table, which some would hold indefinitely even at the cost of more war, President Trump and Vice President Vance could well prove that an intractable conflict is actually solvable.
“Easing sanctions is the most meaningful step the U.S. can take to help ordinary Iranians, who have borne the brunt of decades of broad sanctions that devastated livelihoods while failing to achieve their stated political aims. Sanctions did nothing to stop Iran’s nuclear advances, missile program, regional activities or human rights violations, instead it diminished Iran’s middle class and inhumane hardship on working families, which is what sparked nationwide protests this January. Iranian authorities will be under pressure from their people to ensure that any sanctions relief prioritizes the needs of ordinary Iranians through rebuilding of vital infrastructure, economic stabilization, access to medicine and essential goods, and relief for those hit hardest by years of economic warfare.
“Vice President Vance’s announcement that there will be a restoration of IAEA inspections in Iran is also a big deal. No country has developed nuclear weapons while remaining in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty with active IAEA inspectors on the ground. After the IAEA mission was downgraded following Israeli sabotage attacks during the Biden administration, and after inspectors left following the June war, there was a serious risk they would never return and that Iran could ultimately leave the NPT altogether, following the path North Korea pursued in weaponization. Returning inspectors must be the top priority. If negotiations deliver that outcome, it creates the foundation for a robust verification agreement capable of achieving the core objective: ensuring Iran never develops nuclear weapons.
“Still, there is a long way to go. It is one thing to create a mechanism to discuss de-escalating in Lebanon, and another thing entirely to convince Israel and Hezbollah to implement the steps worked out away from the battlefield. Yet the U.S. has tremendous leverage and, if wielded correctly, can continue to build on the early progress demonstrated thus far.
“For the stability of the region, the global economy and the people of the U.S. and Iran, we urge the President and his team to finalize the important diplomatic work ahead.”
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