"Saudi Arabia wants to fight the Iranians to the last American."
-Robert Gates, former Defense Secretary
-Robert Gates, former Defense Secretary
Why are we on the brink of war with Iran? Why, why, why?
The United States going to war with Iran is senseless, needless, it's folly, and the triangulated mess we're now in with Iran and Saudi Arabia is all Donald Trump's fault.
In 2015 an agreement was reached among Iran, the United States, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the European Union, the terms of which were that Iran was to cease its development of nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of U.S. economic sanctions. As part of the deal Iran was also allowed access to its financial assets that had been frozen by foreign banks.
The deal likely wasn't one-hundred percent of what any of the sides wanted, but it was a compromise, it simmered down tensions, calmed hostilities between the United States and Iran, eased the hardship of the Iranian people and, most important, took the world one giant step back from the potentiality of a nuclear war. In other words, it worked.
Except for Saudi Arabia, mortal enemy of Iran, whose leaders were infuriated at U.S. President Barack Obama for making a deal with Iran.
However the Iran nuclear deal worked well, and all the countries involved played by its rules for three years.
The United States going to war with Iran is senseless, needless, it's folly, and the triangulated mess we're now in with Iran and Saudi Arabia is all Donald Trump's fault.
In 2015 an agreement was reached among Iran, the United States, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the European Union, the terms of which were that Iran was to cease its development of nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of U.S. economic sanctions. As part of the deal Iran was also allowed access to its financial assets that had been frozen by foreign banks.
The deal likely wasn't one-hundred percent of what any of the sides wanted, but it was a compromise, it simmered down tensions, calmed hostilities between the United States and Iran, eased the hardship of the Iranian people and, most important, took the world one giant step back from the potentiality of a nuclear war. In other words, it worked.
Except for Saudi Arabia, mortal enemy of Iran, whose leaders were infuriated at U.S. President Barack Obama for making a deal with Iran.
However the Iran nuclear deal worked well, and all the countries involved played by its rules for three years.
| Until Donald Trump ran his mouth, calling the Iran nuclear agreement "a terrible deal" and boasting that he could make a much better deal. |
Unfortunately Trump's idea of making a deal was to pull the United States out of the agreement then starve Iran with crushing economic sanctions until Iran agreed to bend to the terms of Donald Trump. He likewise threatened harsh retaliation again any country that engaged in trade with Iran. It was a move worthy of a mob boss.
But, though Trump may have thought he was giving Iran an offer it couldn't refuse, he overlooked the fact that Iran was perfectly capable of refusing his offer, which its leaders did, and, in their anger over what they saw as a double-cross on the part of the Americans, subsequently vowed to never again trust the United States.
And the Iranians, in retaliation for what they see as American attacks on their economy, have been retaliating with attacks of their own, on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman,
But, though Trump may have thought he was giving Iran an offer it couldn't refuse, he overlooked the fact that Iran was perfectly capable of refusing his offer, which its leaders did, and, in their anger over what they saw as a double-cross on the part of the Americans, subsequently vowed to never again trust the United States.
And the Iranians, in retaliation for what they see as American attacks on their economy, have been retaliating with attacks of their own, on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman,
...on Saudi Arabian oil pipes, on American drones flying in the region,
...and, last week, on Saudi Arabian oil fields, where missiles probably of Iranian provenance destroyed one third of Saudi Arabia's oil production, at least temporarily.
And now Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is crying out for an international investigation of the bombing of his country's oil fields,
| ...this man who imprisons and tortures civil rights activists, imprisons his political enemies, has caused the the starvation of 13 million people by his bombing of Yemen, |
| ...and had Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi kidnapped, murdered, and butchered, |
...for which cruel, reprehensible crime neither Mohammad bin Salman nor his country suffered the least consequence. Quite the contrary.
And now Saudi Arabia expects the United States to go to war to defend its oil.
Donald Trump has said that our military is "locked and loaded" to attack Iran, but in the meantime his initial retaliation for the attack on Saudi Arabia's oil has been to press a new round of sanctions, this time on Iran's National Bank.
Donald Trump has said that our military is "locked and loaded" to attack Iran, but in the meantime his initial retaliation for the attack on Saudi Arabia's oil has been to press a new round of sanctions, this time on Iran's National Bank.
| Trump's lapdog of a Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Iran's bombing of Saudi Arabia's oil fields an act of war. |
And so it was an act of war; against Saudi Arabia, but not against the United States.
So if Saudi Arabia wants to retaliate against Iran, let it use its own billions and the bodies of its own young people to defend is oil.
In the meantime any fool could predict that more U.S. sanctions against Iran are going to bring on more attacks by Iran against Saudi Arabian oil.
Donald Trump, whose recklessness started this war, could end it today by agreeing to lift his sanctions against Iran and re-entering the Iran nuclear deal.
Then the rest of us wouldn't have to be wondering why in the world we're at war with Iran.
So if Saudi Arabia wants to retaliate against Iran, let it use its own billions and the bodies of its own young people to defend is oil.
In the meantime any fool could predict that more U.S. sanctions against Iran are going to bring on more attacks by Iran against Saudi Arabian oil.
Donald Trump, whose recklessness started this war, could end it today by agreeing to lift his sanctions against Iran and re-entering the Iran nuclear deal.
Then the rest of us wouldn't have to be wondering why in the world we're at war with Iran.
References:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-iran-may-brink-war-183200961.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/18/opinion/iran-saudi.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/world/middleeast/saudi-iran-attack-oil.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/world/middleeast/iran-us-saudi-arabia-attack.html
https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-nuclear-deal-explained?utm_source=hearst&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=allverticals
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_bin_Salman
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-iran-may-brink-war-183200961.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/18/opinion/iran-saudi.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/world/middleeast/saudi-iran-attack-oil.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/19/world/middleeast/iran-us-saudi-arabia-attack.html
https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-nuclear-deal-explained?utm_source=hearst&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=allverticals
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_bin_Salman
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