EDITORIAL: Rouhani in New York, Iran’s Regime Increasingly Isolated and at a Deadly Impasse

 

After carrying out an act of war by attacking Saudi Arabia’s oil installations, the Iranian regime’s president, Hassan Rouhani, went to New York with a ridiculous “Hormuz Peace Plan,” hoping he could extract more concessions from the other side.

The Iranian regime thought that it could blackmail the international community with terrorism and warmongering and gain the upper hand. It failed to realize that since the policy of appeasement has failed, these actions would have an adverse effect. The world saw that the concessions made to the regime through the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), failed to improve the regime’s behavior; rather they only emboldened it to continue its terrorism, missile strikes, and drone attacks. In other words, it is now clear that this regime does not even have the capacity to accept France’s generous solutions.

On a trip to the U.S. almost a year and a half ago, France’s president proposed a plan to prevent the U.S. from withdrawing from the JCPOA. Based on this plan, the Iranian regime had to accept negotiations on its ballistic missile programs and its regional meddling, yet the regime refused, effectively turning France’s plan into a failure.

Thus, as the UN General Assembly was underway, the three European powers – Britain, France, and Germany – in a joint statement condemned the Iranian regime’s role in the attack on the Saudi oil facilities, stating: “It is clear to us that Iran bears responsibility for this attack. There is no other plausible explanation.”

Additionally, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a September 25 statement: “Iran’s violations are not mere technical breaches of international rules; they are serious and systemic destabilizing actions that undermine the international rule of law. Those actions must have consequences.” On the attack on the Saudi oil installations, Mr. Raab said: “We are now confident that Iran was responsible. … This conduct amounts to an armed attack on Saudi Arabia, a violation of one of the basic principles of international law under the United Nations Charter.”

In contrast to Britain’s previous position, the UK Foreign Secretary stated that the JCPOA “was never designed to address our long-standing concern about Iran’s wider destabilizing behavior in the region.”

He added: “Iran’s dire human rights record continues to be a serious concern to the United Kingdom” and “Iran’s record of respect for the basic rules of international law is woeful, and it is getting worse.”

 

Len Khodorkovsky
@MessageFromLen
Replying to @MessageFromLen
“Iran’s citizens deserve a government that cares about reducing poverty, ending corruption, and increasing jobs—not stealing their money to fund a massacre abroad and at home.” – The full Iran portion of President @realDonaldTrump’s remarks at #UNGA 2/2

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In his speech at the General Assembly on September 24, U.S. President Donald Trump drew a distinction between the Iranian people and the mullahs’ regime, stating: “Iran’s citizens deserve a government that cares about reducing poverty, ending corruption, and increasing jobs — not stealing their money to fund a massacre abroad and at home.” Describing the mullahs’ regime as the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism, he stated: “As long as Iran’s menacing behavior continues, sanctions will not be lifted; they will be tightened. In response to Iran’s recent attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities, we just imposed the highest level of sanctions on Iran’s central bank and sovereign wealth fund.”

Importantly, after the General Assembly, the EU sent a message to the Iranian regime that if it does not stop breaching its commitments under the terms of the JCPOA by next month, the EU would also withdraw from the accord, which would spell the end of the JCPOA.

In New York, the mullahs’ regime was seen to be more than ever isolated, and Rouhani came back empty-handed. His trip showed ever more clearly the impasse facing the mullahs. The regime is unable to abide by international norms and stop its nuclear and missile projects and its warmongering in the region because that would lead to its internal collapse. Yet, it is also unable to withstand an explosive society, increased international sanctions and an organized Resistance. This is a deadly impasse that the regime is unable to escape.

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