Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen expresses his support for the Iran nuclear framework, writing in Politico Magazine that “there is no more credible path of reducing the likelihood of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon than this potential deal.”  

“Those who say the risks are too high with the current deal offer no constructive path forward save the high potential for war.  There is a view that all we need to do is intensify sanctions.  A great irony is that it is now the Revolutionary Guard and other hardliners who are getting rich on the sanctions, for they control the black market. It may be that sanctions have reached the point of diminishing returns.”  

“If the hardliners prevail in the long run, the likelihood of both Iran achieving nuclear capability, the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, and the outbreak of conflict rises sharply. It would be foolish to remove from play the military deterrence options available to us. But it is worth remembering that any strike, even if successful, would by all accounts only delay a nuclear breakout capability by one to three years at most while fully galvanizing the Iranian people against the U.S. and in favor of developing nuclear weapons.”