Amidst the constant roar of very predictable Republican and Jewish opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, it’s often been difficult to discern intelligent and rational discourse. Rebeccah Heinrichs, who distinguished herself during her time as a Capitol Hill aide as a tough and intelligent partisan who didn’t always abandon the facts, offers this intriguing analysis of the possible effects… Keep reading →

The July nuclear deal concedes far too much to Iran and will increase its capacity to terrorize the Middle East and American interests and allies there. There are at least two diplomatic alternatives to the July deal on Iranian nuclear activity. We can stick with the interim agreement — just extend it — which is… Keep reading →

WASHINGTON: The presumptive Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, has told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the most pressing areas of concern for the US military are its cyber and space capabilities; modernizing its nuclear weapons and their delivery systems; and assuring that American forces can penetrate any set of defenses anywhere in the world. He also… Keep reading →

Mitt Romney recently offered a PowerPoint presentation at his annual ideas festival in Park City, Utah to highlight President Barack Obama’s 20 worst foreign policy mistakes, grist for his argument that Obama is “the worst foreign policy president in history,” and Hillary Clinton a well-traveled but mistake-prone former “Secretary of Schlep.” In this election season… Keep reading →

Supporters of the Obama administration Iran deal have had a rough couple weeks. The bipartisan passage of the Corker-Mendez bill (the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015) out of the Foreign Relations Committee, conveyed in no uncertain terms that Congress is concerned enough about this deal to insist it have a voice. It also raises the question: how… Keep reading →

It is with great sadness I must tell our readers of the untimely death of Michael Adler, our most excellent reporter on the long-running Iranian nuclear crisis. Sigh. Even though we write about war and its relatives here at Breaking Defense, it never really entered my mind that one day I’d have to write about… Keep reading →

It is now clear that differences in negotiations between Iran and six major powers led by the United States remain intractable, despite the conciliatory words and much friendlier atmosphere which have reigned in recent months. When the two sides met in Vienna last week for a first round of hard-core haggling after months of laying… Keep reading →

The outlines of a possible nuclear deal with Iran are now clear. What isn’t known is whether Iran will actually agree to the terms of the six major powers with which it negotiates – the United States, Russia, China, Britain, Germany and France. In the latest round of talks this week in Vienna, both sides are… Keep reading →

Talks this week in Vienna to win guarantees that Iran won’t seek nuclear weapons were workmanlike and “drilled down into details,” diplomats said. But the crisis in Ukraine threatened to change the strategic landscape that has made the negotiations possible. The Russian envoy to the seven-party talks in Vienna said Wednesday that Russia might take… Keep reading →

    Iran’s decision to accept and implement the nuclear deal struck in November has undercut the US Congress’s drive for new sanctions designed to increase the pressure on the Islamic Republic. President Barack Obama said the deal should be given a chance to work and that sanctions could alienate Iran and torpedo the diplomacy. Congress, so… Keep reading →