How Mistranslation Could Threaten the Iran Deal
Sometimes the words that matter most in foreign policy are the ones we get wrong. As the Trump administration openly ponders withdrawing from the Iran deal, notwithstanding reports of Iran’s compliance from the UN’s nuclear watchdog, some might believe his case was bolstered by inflammatory remarks from Iran’s own leaders concerning their intentions. Except that in many cases, those remarks were mistranslated, and the accompanying outcry was often misplaced.
We shouldn’t take Iran at its word that it’s complying with the deal—that’s why the deal provides for inspections and monitoring. But we should at least know what those words are and what they mean before they fill headlines, let alone inform policy. One of us worked for the last secretary of state,
