Iran And Sanctions

Trump and his Boyz are playing the sanctions again….this time it is Iran’s Zarif…..that’s right these sanctions are targeting an individual….so what are the deeds that warrant sanctions?

What are Javad Zarif’s sins that earned him sanctions? In the view of this administration, there are two.

First, he fell victim to President Trump’s obsession with his predecessor. Zarif’s crime was to have been a principal negotiator of the 2015 nuclear agreement (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA) between Iran and six other countries, including the United States. The Trump administration has attacked the agreement with special venom, not for its contents, but for its connection to former President Barack Obama. Zarif is collateral damage.

Since it can only denounce, but cannot act, against the JCPOA’s American architects (Obama, former Secretary of State John Kerry, and former Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz), who are now private citizens, the Trump administration has vented its spleen against the main Iranian negotiator, who is still an official of his government. If Trump, National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cannot act against Obama, they will go after Zarif.

Second, like it or not, Zarif is an effective spokesperson for his country and his government. That government may be unsavory, brutal, and repressive, but, in the end, he is doing what any diplomat is expected to do: argue his government’s views as best he can. Like a defense lawyer with an obviously guilty client, he still has a professional responsibility to fulfill.

The fact that Zarif is articulate is a challenge to this administration. Contrast his style with that of Secretary Pompeo at the American University of Cairo in January 2019 when, instead of laying out a policy, he ridiculed his predecessors in front of a baffled and embarrassed foreign audience. His only purpose was to tell the world that his boss is a master negotiator. A most unprofessional performance.

The administration is not punishing an individual. It is rejecting the entire idea of diplomacy. Of course, it is no secret that Trump and company despise the practice of diplomacy, with its careful choice of language, and its emphasis on listening, empathy, and credibility.

Waiting for the Adults: Then and Now

Just another slap at diplomacy….something this president has yet to grasp the need….instead he plays lose and dangerous with the simpliest of solutions….sanctions.

These take NO thought…..these are what morons do when they cannot understand the complexities of diplomacy…..

Be Smart!

“Lego Ergo Scribo”



2 thoughts on “Iran And Sanctions

  1. There is another side to the sanctions option that is rarely mentioned. The fact that many companies rely heavily on exporting goods to the countries placed under sanction. Eventually, there will be economic repercussions at home too.
    Best wishes, Pete.

    1. This where Iran is screwed…we do not need their oil….we stole pistachio trees when we left in 1979 so we do not need …..Iran is just screwing everyone around Iran chuq

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