The Syrian government’s sudden fall leaves Iran with a fractured regional axis, writes Middle East expert Eitan Charnoff. And an incentive to “pivot toward nuclearization as its ultimate guarantor of power.” |
(Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images) |
Over the past year, Iran’s Axis of Resistance “showcased its operational reach and resilience,” in various ways, Charnoff says. Iran even directly launched strikes against Israel.
But now, with its proxies weakened, Iran is “increasingly isolated.” And “If history offers any lessons, it is that despotic regimes under existential threat often seek asymmetric means of ensuring their survival,” the author writes.
That may mean Iran goes all in on nuclear weapons.
The U.S. must take notice. “The window to act may be mere weeks,” Charnoff writes. “For once the nuclear threshold is crossed, there is no turning back.”
Read the op-ed at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Views & Opinions newsletter, it's Tuesday, Dec. 10. I'm Daniel Allott, bringing together a collection of key opinion pieces published from a wide range of voices. |
