You're right that Iran has a history of nuclear deception - that’s exactly why the JCPOA was created: to impose strict limits and inspections.
The deal wasn’t based on trust but on verifiable containment, and the IAEA confirmed Iran’s compliance until Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018, with no alternative in place.
That move freed Iran from restrictions, accelerated enrichment, and gave us less visibility, not more. The Israeli raid in 2018 confirmed past weapons work but didn’t prove active violations of the deal. Abandoning diplomacy gave Iran space to advance - smart policy means constraining adversaries, not cutting loose the only tools we have to monitor them.