Iran tried option 3 in 2015, when it agreed to the JCPOA, but Trump withdrew from the agreement and applied "maximum pressure" on Iran.

There were forces in Iranian politics who argued for making a deal with the US. They even won out in 2015. But now, they've been proven wrong, and the hardliners (who should perhaps now be called the "realists") were proven right. The US isn't a reliable partner, and is willing to rip up any deal Iran makes.

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luckylion 6 months ago | parent [-]

Agreeing to an agreement while continuing the obvious weapon program they've claimed to not even have anymore isn't "trying option 3" though. That's slowing down in exchange for fewer sanctions.

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DiogenesKynikos 6 months ago | parent [-]

Iran complied with the terms of the JCPOA, which guaranteed that the program was purely civil.

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luckylion 6 months ago | parent [-]

Yes, because agreements guarantee that they are being adhered to, which is why the IAEA always had access to everything (narrator: they did not), Iran did not deploy more and more advanced centrifuges than agreed (narrator: they did), and Iran did not stockpile more enriched uranium than agreed (narrator: they did).

	▲	DiogenesKynikos 6 months ago \| parent [-]
		You're making a whole series of false claims. Iran gave the IAEA access to everything, and reduced its centrifuges and enriched uranium stockpiles to the agreed-upon amounts. Even the Trump administration certified that Iran was abiding by the JCPOA. The reason Israel did not like the JCPOA was not because Iran was somehow not complying or because the deal wouldn't prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Israel didn't like the deal because Israel wanted sanctions to be maintained on Iran and for Iranian conventional military strength to be limited. Israel wants a weak Iran.