Why and how to tighten the screws on Iran

Two years ago, nuclear negotiations concluded between Iran and the P5+1 group of nations, with the U.S. at its head. The resulting Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the Iran nuclear deal, has accomplished little in the time since.

Some may argue that the agreement succeeded in slowing Iran's progress toward a nuclear weapon. But the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program are limited, as is the access that international inspectors have to the country's illicit facilities.

Meanwhile, in areas unrelated to the nuclear agreement itself, the Iranian regime's behavior has only gotten worse over the past two years. Anti-Western rhetoric has been backed up by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has, among other nefarious activities in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, deliberately sought out close encounters with American warships, boasted of new Iranian military equipment, and declared readiness for war.

These and other provocations justify the Trump White House's efforts to enforce a harder line on Iran policy than had been established in the lead-up to JCPOA. That is why the president's signature on H.R. 3364, titled "Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017," presents a step in the right direction.

Tehran officials, attempting to discourage the Trump administration from intensifying sanctions, have insisted such measures as violations of JCPOA, even though non-nuclear sanctions are unaffected by the terms of the deal. The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and other officials, claim Iran is prepared to restart and escalate full-scale enrichment of nuclear materials. This assertion already implies that nuclear improvements never halted despite an Iranian facade of following the JCPOA's restrictions.