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The Trump administration has a more coherent policy on Iran than it does on many other issues. That doesn’t mean the policy will necessarily work, but it is at least understandable.

President Trump, drawing from a standard Republican Party position, decided that the 2015 nuclear-arms deal that the Obama administration and Europe signed with Iran was too lenient. In the Obama deal, Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear program and accept international inspections in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

Trump withdrew from the deal last year and enacted tough sanctions on Iran. He was betting that the sanctions would cause enough economic pain that Iran would agree to a more stringent deal — one that not only limits its nuclear program but also reduces its financing of extremist groups like Hamas. Trump’s strategy brings more risk and potentially more reward than Obama’s.