With the technical talks kicking off, it is time to assess whether a new and effective nuclear deal between Iran and the United States is feasible and, if so, what it might look like.

In a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine last week, U.S. President Donald Trump said, “I think we’re going to make a deal with Iran. Nobody else could do that.” He then tapped Michael Anton, the State Department’s policy planning director, to lead technical negotiations over Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

In a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine last week, U.S. President Donald Trump said, “I think we’re going to make a deal with Iran. Nobody else could do that.” He then tapped Michael Anton, the State Department’s policy planning director, to lead technical negotiations over Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

With the technical talks kicking off, it is time to assess whether a new and effective nuclear deal between Iran and the United States is feasible and, if so, what it might look like.

A good nuclear deal needs to cut off Iran’s possible pathways to the bomb. To build a nuclear weapon, Iran must produce at least one bomb’s worth of nuclear fuel, fashion that fuel into a nuclear weapon, and have some means of delivering that weapon to an intended target. Since constructing a basic nuclear warhead is straightforward, and Iran already possesses the largest ballistic missile stockpile in the Middle East, the production of nuclear fuel is