US presidential candidate Joe Biden in an opinion article published by CNN has called President Donald Trump’s Iran policy “a dangerous failure” and has called for “urgently…changing course.”

President Trump pulled the United Sates out of the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, arguing that the Obama era deal was a bad one and would not stop Iran from eventually acquiring nuclear weapons. In addition, he demanded Iran change its regional aggressive policies and curb its ballistic missile program.

Biden in his commentary says Trump has failed delivering what he promised regarding Iran and by tossing out the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the nuclear agreement is called, he has not made America safer. He points out that Iran now has ten times more enriched uranium than before.

Biden also argues that the US has lost the support of its allies when it comes to Iran and mentions the opposition of Germany, France and the United Kingdom to the extension of the UN arms embargo on Iran or the restoration of international sanctions.

The Trump administration argues that by leaving the JCPOA in 2018 and reimposing US sanctions, the Islamic Republic has become weaker and overwhelmed by a deep recession, high inflation and no oil income. Dissent in the country has increased and Tehran has less money to support its proxies in the region.

Biden says, he has “no illusion about the challenges the regime in Iran poses to America’s security interests” and to its allies, but he argues there is a “smart way to be tough on Iran, and there is Trump’s way.” Biden adds that Trump ignored America’s European allies and had no plan when he walked away from the deal.

He also insists that Trump’s maximum pressure “has been a boon to the regime in Iran”, but does not explain how. The deep economic crisis besieging the Islamic Republic has been well documented and easy to measure by statistical evidence.

Biden argues that Iran’s “breakout time” to make a nuclear bomb has been reduced from one year under the agreement to just a few months now, because of Iran’s retaliatory act to reduce its commitments under the JCPOA.

Moreover, the Democratic presidential candidate argues that Iran has targeted US troops and Saudi Arabian oil installations, while before “deterrence and pushback” worked.

Biden frames his policy if he gets elected by an “unshakeable commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.” Then, he says the United States will rejoin the JCPOA if Iran returns to its commitments and will then negotiate to strengthen the nuclear agreement and address other issues.

Defenders of Trump’s Iran policy argue that the “maximum pressure” policy has put Iran in a tight spot and the advantage should not be thrown away before concessions are secured. Biden does not explicitly address the issue of current US sanctions and it is not clear if he is planning to suspend the measures before fetching any commitments from Iran.

Biden makes a commitment to work free Americans imprisoned in Iran and “calling out the regime for its ongoing violations of human rights”.

In the end Biden says, “If Iran chooses confrontation, I am prepared to defend our vital interests and our troops. But, I am ready to walk the path of diplomacy if Iran takes steps to show it is ready too.”