Credit Iraq Invasion for Iran Change

What was the international pressure and scrutiny that made Iran terminate its bomb-building project in 2003? The National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) specified that such pressure was the key factor in the alteration of course, but it failed to identify what pressure led to the change.

There were no U.N. sanctions on the table back then and the diplomatic effort by Germany, France and the U.K. was only just beginning. The pressure was obviously the U.S.-led invasion of next-door Iraq. So give our troops and the Bush administration credit. The invasion has not only led to Libya’s decision to cancel its bomb projects but to Iran’s as well. If the NIE is accurate, and we all have our doubts, then Bush should be making it clear that the turnaround in Tehran is due to the invasion.

If the invasion of Iraq stopped Libya and Iran from going nuclear, it was well worth it just for that and the brave troops did not die in vain.