William Courtney (@courtneywmh) 's Twitter Profile
William Courtney

@courtneywmh

Adj snr fellow @RANDCorporation Co-Chr Intl Advisory @America250 Fmr Amb to Kazakhstan, Georgia, US-USSR nucl test Chr-Emer Brd @EFNetwork RTs not RAND's

ID: 1227754105

linkhttp://www.rand.org/about/people/c/courtney_william_harrison.html calendar_today28-02-2013 15:07:30

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"Iran said it would not discuss the future of its nuclear program while under attack by Israel, as Europe tried to coax Tehran back into negotiations." Striking Fordow may be necessary to induce Iran to begin meaningful negotiations. reuters.com/world/middle-e…

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"In a June 20 speech, Putin said 'all of Ukraine' belonged to Russia." Once again, Putin states that Russia's purpose in the war is imperial & revanchist, not just a concern about Ukraine's joining NATO or being ruled by alleged 'Nazis.'" kyivindependent.com/all-of-ukraine…

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"Tehran told diplomats in conversations this past week that it wouldn’t end enrichment of nuclear fuel and wouldn’t enter talks with the US unless Israel stops its attacks." Iran seems to have given its answer. wsj.com/world/middle-e… via The Wall Street Journal

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“From the US standpoint, it allows some time to make sure we are fully prepared.” For Iran, the delay allows more time to remove sensitive items from Fordow and disperse them, and to harden protection for those that cannot be withdrawn. wsj.com/world/middle-e… via The Wall Street Journal

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"Europeans press Iran on nuclear curbs, but Geneva talks yield no breakthrough" Iranian leaders might now wish they had been less rigid and hostile in these talks. washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/…

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Trump: 1. Thanked CJCS Caine but not SecDef Hegseth. 2. Reported total destruction of bombed targets. (Comment: Full battle damage assessments might take more time.)

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"This is a dangerous escalation in a region on edge – & a direct threat to international peace a&security." Might be prudent not to be so sure. The strike is no doubt risky, but it may help contain & lessen Iran's nuclear threat. Too soon to tell. nytimes.com/live/2025/06/2…

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On Al Jazeera English, I said decades of negotiations had not ended Iran’s nuclear program. The West lacked leverage to achieve this. Trump may now say he has made good on a pledge that a lot of past US leaders have made: “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.” mediaview.aljazeera.com/video/KajNC7XD…

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“Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat ... We call on Iran to ... reach a diplomatic solution." Before, the West lacked negotiating leverage for this. Now, it remains to be seen. cnn.com/world/live-new…

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"Trump will doubtless claim that only he was willing to use America’s military reach to achieve a goal his last four predecessors deemed too risky." They said Iran could not have nuclear weapons but left enforcing this to a future president. nytimes.com/2025/06/21/us/…

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"Khamenei warned of 'irreparable damage' if the US joined Israel’s war on the Islamic republic." It may be Iran that has suffered such damage -- loss of Hamas, Hezbollah & Assad's Syria + Israeli & now US bombing. Iran is now far weaker. on.ft.com/4kO6sHF via Financial Times

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A terrible error. At a time when the US needs to build international understanding and support for its policy toward Iran and the Middle East, America is left speehless. nytimes.com/2025/06/20/us/…

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A terrinle error. At a time when the US needs to build understanding and support abroad for its policy toward Iran and the Middle East, it has become speechless. nytimes.com/2025/06/20/us/…

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"Our view has been very clear that we don’t want regime change." This is different from saying the US is not pursuing regime change. The latter may enjoy more support in the West. thehill.com/homenews/admin…

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"It fell to Trump — and he acted. That will be noted in Beijing and Moscow." Putin may worry that Trump & the US will be emboldened by the exercise of military power & further weakening of Iran & will turn tbeir attention to humbling Russia in Ukraine. washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/…

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“What intelligence do you have that Iran is building a nuclear weapon?” Anticipatory action is sometimes required. In deciding whether to build the hydrogen (nuclear) bomb, Truman correctly anticipated expected that Stalin would when he could. washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/…

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A misreading of the rules-based order. A central pillar of the order is international security. Allowing an aggressive rogue state like Iran to become nuclear & threaten others could undermine the security of states & entire regions.

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Khamenei: "Israel made a 'grave mistake' and is being 'punished right now.'" Iran's "punishment" thus far is so limp as to signal weakness & possibly a desire to cease fighting. But time will tell. wsj.com/livecoverage/i…

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"Prior to the U.S. airstrikes, Iran had warned that U.S. involvement in Israel's campaign could lead to 'all-out war.'" It is important not to be taken in by bluster. cbsnews.com/news/trump-ira… via CBS News Politics

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"There was 'no legality' to US strikes on Iran, even if France 'shares the objective' of preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon." Would it have been preferable to wait for Iran to have a nuclear weapon before taking stronger action? washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/…