How to strengthen Europe’s resolve after the Iran nuclear deal

President Biden admitted last week that his long-running efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal were finally coming to an end: “We await their response. When that will happen, I’m not sure. But we are not going to wait forever. We have been hearing it since December 2021, even from Europeans, the most dedicated acolytes of the deal.

The cascade of concessions from the White House during the negotiations, the additional time granted to Iran to advance its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, and the relaxation of the application of American sanctions have considerably emboldened the ayatollahs of Tehran. If the current ambiguity is far from their ideal, they may well be willing to live with it indefinitely.