A Return to Failed Trump Policies Promises Neither Peace Nor Strength

Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign was a complete failure that encouraged Iran to expand its nuclear program while bringing the U.S. and Iran to the brink of war more than once.

Robert O/Brien gives us a preview of the terrible policies we can expect from Trump in the future:

A return to Trump’s policy of maximum pressure would include the full enforcement of U.S. sanctions on Iran’s energy sector, applying them not only to Iran but also to governments and organizations that buy Iranian oil and gas. Maximum pressure would also mean deploying more maritime and aviation assets to the Middle East, making it clear not only to Tehran but also to American allies that the U.S. military’s focus in the region was on deterring Iran, finally moving past the counterinsurgency orientation of the past two decades.

Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign was a complete failure that encouraged Iran to expand its nuclear program while bringing the U.S. and Iran to the brink of war more than once. The economic warfare that the U.S. waged against Iran starting in 2018 ratcheted up tensions and led to attacks on both U.S. forces and commercial vessels. O’Brien exaggerates the extent to which Biden moved away from this campaign, but the fact that he wants to “return” to this failed and dangerous Trump-era approach tells us everything we need to know about the sort of foreign policy he is presenting in Trump’s name.