Nancy Pelosi spoke at the Knesset yesterday. Here’s what she had to say about Iran:
And together, we must have a simple message for Tehran, whose support of Hezbollah is well known. Iran must not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. The time to leverage all our power is now, and the way to do it is through diplomacy – with stronger sanctions and smarter policy choices.
Under Chairman Tom Lantos’ leadership, the U.S. Congress is moving to put additional pressure on Iran by expanding and tightening our sanctions regime. I am certain that our Administration will use all of its influence with Security Council members and states in the region to see that they do the same.
Iran is not just an Israeli problem or a regional problem. Iran is a problem for the world.
I do agree with Pelosi here on a very basic level. That is, she’s right when she says that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon and that diplomacy is the best way to achieve this outcome. The thing is, however, Pelosi and other policymakers really need to think outside the box a little bit more when it comes to Iran.
There are a whole range of different diplomatic carrots and sticks that might need to be used here – expulsion from international organizations, a boycott of Iranian oil, a Nixon-like visit by Western leaders to Tehran, or the negotiated construction of CANDU nuclear reactors. Who knows? There are many different ways that we could end this standoff. Sanctions are not necessarily the magic bullet here.