'Iran, in turn, can show good faith by at least publicly disavowing support for the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and ending its supply of weapons and training. The return of inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency will give Tehran an opportunity to demonstrate willingness to cooperate with international initiatives. It might even open preliminary negotiations to halt any further enrichment activities.''Instead of rushing into a new deal, the U.S. should encourage Iran and its Arab neighbors to use 2021 for confidence-building measures, such as of cooperation in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and other forms of economic engagement that had seemed possible when the nuclear deal was signed in 2015.
Iran, in turn, can show good faith by at least publicly disavowing support for the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and ending its supply of weapons and training. The return of inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency will give Tehran an opportunity to demonstrate willingness to cooperate with international initiatives. It might even open preliminary negotiations to halt any further enrichment activities.
The Gulf Arab states, in the meanwhile, could use the year to nurse their injured economies under austerity measures and perhaps to jump-start privatization and tourism initiatives. This, combined with global economic recovery, could make 2022 more a propitious time for a new Iran deal.'
- Karen E. Young,
Why 2021 Would Be Inauspicious For a New Iran Deal, October 6, 2020
Context(Afghanistan, Pakistan) - ' ..the two countries “need to go beyond the usual stale rhetoric and shadowy conspiracy theories that have held us back.” 'Veterans groups .. in favor of winding down American military involvement in the Middle East'..4,000 troops in Afghanistan until after election.'US to draw down to 3,000 troops in Iraq