Tanter also points to the war between the Iranian regime and its main opposition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which acts as the parliament-in-exile. Its main unit, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran/Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (PMOI/MEK) is the largest and best-organized Iranian opposition movement with the NCRI coalition.  He calls this struggle between the Iranian lobby and the organization representing the Iranian people, a War for Washington.  

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) wrote a letter in favor of the Iran deal. Organizers of that letter lobby on behalf of the deal.  The Obama administration allowed entree into the White House for NIAC, but it is doubtful that Team Trump will do the same. Rather the NCRI is more likely to receive favorable treatment because of its policies are against the Iran deal. Their approach aligns with the incoming administration.

Tanter writes, “The nuclear deal did not do the magic that its proponents promised and Tehran’s nefarious conduct at home and throughout the region continues unabated.”

According to Human Rights Watch, “In 2016, Iran is yet again the regional leader in executions – at least 230 – while it continues to be a laggard in implementing illusory penal code reforms meant to bridge the gap with international standards.”

On July 20, 2015, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2231, which reinforced the position of the United States about Tehran violating the spirit of the deal, but, there have been at least five ballistic missile tests, in violation of that spirit. 

“In addition, Washington said it would maintain its own sanctions against Iran, which supported terrorism, destabilized the region, and continued to violate human rights,” according to Tanter.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a leading opponent of the Iran deal, implied that any unilateral action on the part of the Obama administration would only raise the political pressure on the Trump administration to move quickly to reverse the accord. 

“Specifically,” writes Tanter, “The perception that Obama jammed Congress and the American people with a unilateral [steps about the] Iran nuclear deal is what has undermined the deal’s legitimacy in the first place.  In addition, Iran stokes the flames engulfing Yemen in Tehran’s proxy war against an American friend, Saudi Arabia. Tehran sustains a leader in Damascus guilty of major war crimes against his own people nurtures and sponsors terrorist groups in Iraq and Lebanon, including the notorious Hezbollah.”

Tanter believes that Iran shares responsibility for the rise of the Islamic State; that it was facilitated by Syrian dictator Assad, and then-Prime Minister Maliki in Iraq, to divert the focus from their own actions, which were supported by Iran and its proxies.

The key point in dealing with Iran, Tanter claims, is to engage with the Iranian opposition.  The NCRI seeks a nonnuclear Iran, one free of weapons of mass destruction. Tanter writes, “Careful academic research and analysis over the years demonstrates that the Iranian resistance is the single entity feared most by the rulers in Tehran: On one hand, the NCRI directly challenges the religious claim of authority that the ayatollahs use to exercise and maintain political power.  On the other hand, the NCRI popularity and appeal grows among Iranian youth who are crying for freedom. As such, Tehran resorts to massive disinformation and smears the NCRI.”

He continues, “Forty prominent U.S. national security officials in the past four administrations underscored in a policy initiative in 2015 that it is time to break the stalemate on Iran by implementing some of the following steps:

1Iran’s destructive role throughout the region must be curbed and deterred. Far from being part of the solution, Iran is a major part of the problem.  There should be no direct or indirect cooperation with Iran under the pretext of fighting the Islamic State.

2Washington should be more vigilant and vocal about the serious human rights abuses by the regime that continue inside Iran. During Hassan Rouhani’s tenure as President, illicit arms trafficking continues unabated.  A successful policy toward Iran and the Middle East must be cognizant of these realities.

3Engage with the democratic opposition. It has been the missing piece of US policy for many years under both Republican and Democratic leadership. The new administration should engage in respectful dialogue with the Iranian opposition, consistent with our country’s policy of dialogue with all political groups. The wishes of the Iranian people and their desire for change must be taken into consideration.”

By taking the three steps outlined by Tanter, Donald Trump has an opportunity to be a game changer.