Former CIA Director and US CENTCOM Commander David Petraeus said on Tuesday that a new nuclear deal with Iran may be achievable, but the idea that Iran could be reintegrated into the international community the way Syria has been is “overly optimistic.”
Asked at the Qatar Economic Forum whether Iran could be “brought back into the fold” like Syria, Petraeus responded: “That’s overly optimistic.”
He said there is “a chance that there could be a nuclear deal that doesn’t have some of the shortcomings of the previous nuclear deal,” which could lead to phased sanctions relief and, over time, a more constructive role for Iran in the region.
“That could lead to them being a more constructive player in the region than they certainly have been for many decades,” Petraeus said, pointing to damage caused by Iran's regional armed allies, including actions by the Houthis.
He also noted signs of movement in nuclear diplomacy: “No enrichment whatsoever is the US opening. Maybe that ends up being for three years… but you can actually see this deal starting to come together.”
“A CIA director learns really quickly that you have to deal with the world the way it is, not the way you'd like it to be,” he added. “And I never thought that regime change was at all realistic, frankly.”
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