Uconn professor: Why Washington must hold Iran accountable
Hartford Courant, May 29, 2025 by Kazem Kazeronian
The headlines were dominated by President Trump’s recent whirlwind Middle East tour, making deals, and pronouncements that the U.S. and Iran have “sort of” agreed to terms on a nuclear deal, with talk of “very serious negotiations” for long-term peace.
But amid state dinners and back-channel selfies, diplomatic photo-ops can feel intoxicating: negotiators sit down with Tehran—whether in Vienna, Doha, or via back-channel talks—headlines proclaim a “historic opportunity,” markets soar, and pundits treat the Islamic Republic like a conventional adversary.
Once the cameras pack up, however, Iran’s brutality resurfaces: fresh hostages, cruise-missile parts bound for Yemen, and black-clad security forces opening fire on unarmed teenagers in Tehran. History warns that the euphoria of a deal can never be allowed to eclipse the regime’s long of deception, repression, and exported terror.
As discussions fixate on enrichment levels, sanctions relief, and halting Tehran’s sponsorship of terror, a critical question remains: does any agreement with this regime truly pave the way for a stable, free Iran—or does it sidestep the fundamental aspirations of its people?
Walking into negotiations pretending Iran is a “normal” adversary is like meeting Al Capone to discuss tax reform.
A U.N. Special Rapporteur has traced the 1988 massacre of tens of thousands of political prisoners—most supporters of Iran’s democratic opposition—to senior officials still in power today. Those mass executions are the regime’s résumé, not distant history. Today the same Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that fired on protesters in 2022 works to rebuild its significantly damaged proxies across the region—fueling conflicts from Gaza to the Red Sea. Tehran’s preferred negotiating style remains hostage-taking: extract a ransom today, seize new captives tomorrow.
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