Subject: Re: Vance Failed. No Deal.
Which is why if you think that, you can't just ask them to agree not to have weapons, as you suggest upthread. You have to ask them to also abandon their entire nuclear energy program. Which is one of the reasons they can't get to a deal.

The US literally offered to hand them enriched uranium if they wanted to build a civilian reactor.


Yes, because they got permission from Iran, which made it feasible for them to go through. Which wouldn't be the case if the limiting risk were mines, rather than shoreline attacks. Which is why clearing the mines won't help civilian tankers transit the strait, because they'll still be vulnerable to missiles and drones. Which were the things that were damaging those ships in the first place, not mines.

Which means we have a great idea where the mines aren't and can start there.

They don't want their vessels to get hit with missiles and drones. Unless we clear out the Iranian coast, that won't change - whether we clear mines or not.

Sounds like Bridge and Power Plant day get here sooner rather than later plus B-52's visiting their coastline.