President Barack Obama has promised that, should Iran not comply with its nuclear commitments, sanctions will simply snap back in place. Time to think again. Here’s Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov quoted in the Kremlin-backed RIA Novosti (and provided by the Open Source Center):
“We have a whole series of our own priorities and objectives that are important to us, and we will be working on those. We are proceeding on the basis that if one of the partners in the talks raises the possibility of sanctions being reintroduced against Iran, in the hypothetical situation that Iran should fail to honour its commitments, then this process should not in any way be automatic,” he [Ryabkov] said.”Decisions on this matter should be taken in accordance with the procedures of the UN Security Council, through voting in the council, and through the adoption of the appropriate resolutions,” Ryabkov noted.
Russia’s English-language propaganda arm “Sputnik News” left out the key preamble, there, but why burden American policymakers with embarrassing facts about Russia’s position.
Regardless, the Iranian government understands just where it stands. Speaking on the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network Television (IRINN) in Persian earlier today, President Hassan Rouhani bragged about the collapsing sanctions, in a translation provided by the Open Source Center:
“Those who brokered the sanctions had better think of another job for themselves from now on. We will continue moving along the path of constructive interaction with the world with the help of God, with the guidance of the Supreme Leader and with the support of the Iranian nation. Nobody can continue with the sanctions and pressure on Iran in the coming months and years. The sanctions scheme is completely collapsing. The P5+1 group should know well that the government and nation [of Iran] are standing close to each other and are supporting each other, especially in the year of understanding and unity.”
Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have presided over a complete and utter diplomatic collapse, not a resolution of the problem. They have forfeited all leverage upon the trust of dictators like Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Russian President Vladimir Putin. And, indeed, Rouhani is laughing his way to the bank. “We are honored to announce to the world that after two years of recession, Iran had a positive rate of progress in ‘93 [Iranian year corresponding to 21 March 2014 – 20 March 2015].” This isn’t sophisticated, fail-safe diplomacy. Rather, it’s surrender.
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