The Iranian nuclear program is among the most complex foreign policy and national security challenges that the United States faces today. Intensive diplomatic and economic steps focused on Iran’s nuclear program have been undertaken over the last decade to dissuade Iran from pursuing a military nuclear program. Unfortunately, it does not appear that these efforts have succeeded in convincing the Iranians to abandon its military nuclear ambitions. 

The United States’ stated policy remains that Iran should not process a nuclear weapon, as reflected by President Obama’s recent comments in which he stated, ‘‘I think both the Iranian and Israeli governments recognize that when the United States says it is unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, we mean what we say.’’ Moreover, President Obama has explicitly declared that his Administration would use force—a ‘‘military component’’—as a last resort to prevent Tehran from acquiring a bomb. However, this message has not always been consistent across administrations, and, unfortunately, it is not clear that the Iranian regime is deterred by such statements.