In a move that will be used as a pretext for a further series of threats against Iran, the Trump Administration is reportedly intending to announce, as soon as Monday, that they will declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.
Such a move has been discussed by Iranian hawks for years, but opposed
by US intelligence bodies, notably the CIA, as they say that the
declaration will increase risks to US troops in the region, while having
little impact on Iran.
The assumption is that the US could impose new sanctions on the
Revolutionary Guard, part of the Iranian government, and by extension
new sanctions against many groups affiliated with them. This would, for
hawks, be an excuse for a bunch of new moves against Iran’s security
forces.
The reality is that the US has been imposing so many sanctions against
Iran over the years, particularly since Trump withdrew from the P5+1
nuclear deal, the opportunity for new sanctions that do anything appears
limited.
Not that U.S was following the Geneva convention that much, but now they will 100% ignore those rules against a foreign country’s military.
Bomb em, or sanction em. 2 hammers, no other tools on the belt.
In both cases, ordinary people are the ones who suffer while the elites skate away with their billions.
Sanctions do not work for long. Once the economy adjusts for the change, there are plenty of ways to satisfy both import and export needs. There are niot many countries that are following US sanctions, and getting them to obay or punishing them is not always possible. Take the case of India. India is building a port in Iran to have a simplyfied access to both continental Asian and European trade. This is not stopping. And Indian ships will not be blicked for trade. Then there is Indian S-400. Anybody leaning on them? No, as we desparstely need India. Yet, India is through SCO linked to Russia-China decision making. Strategic goals for India means Asian integration, first and foremost. Due to its complex internal politics it will play the strategic ambvivslence game for a while. The terror attack in India has bern masterfully used by both countries to strenghten their internal positions. Modi against his pro-western detractors, and Khan against the entranched militants. As those were supplied by Saudi and US money and weapons for Central Asia meddling, now that Saudis actually support the government, they are down the river.
Good points Bianca. Didnt know that about India. I gotta ask, why is your typing so poor ? I mean, I would rather read good ideas typed poorly, than perfectly typed bad ones….just askin
Too many thumbs? : )
As always, amidst the froth, a thoughtful analysis, Bianca.
If only the USA would vote to do something to help the people and environment of the USA, instead of the constant interfering every time it thinks of it in any other nation whose business is NOT that of the USA. Iran, Iraq, Venezuela, Russia, and any other sovereign nation does not need or want punishment by the USA for not obeying the USA’s illegal laws. The USA’s constant moaning ever since Trump’s election about “interference in our affairs” just shows how inefficient the system is, the lack of any clue from the “intelligence community” with hacks like Comey, Mueller, Brennan, Clapper being considered some sort of independent and knowledgeable experts.
Putting our troops in danger isn’t going to be a deal breaker. In fact it will be something that is probably the ultimate goal of doing this. It doesn’t take much to get the jingoism flowing so putting our troops in danger is just a way of stoking that jingoism. Bombs away. Trump and dead McCain do agree on something after all.
Well, neither Trump nor McCain would have achieved the heights they did without having a foot up on the ladder from a powerful or rich Daddy, so there’s that too.
What we do for love .. of Israel.
Notice neither this article nor the cited one had even one word to say about what should be the central question: is this group actually a terrorist organization? No evidence needed, because this is a PR move instead of a factual finding. Instead, the question on the table is: How effective will this change be in terms of economic warfare against Iran?
See this for what it is: a ***no-material-consequence*** move to mollify both Israel and the all-war-all-the-time Neocons. This is Pompeo, Bolton & Abrams — with Bibi in the background — held close, but allowed to growl and posture,… to no effect.
“Friends close, enemies closer.” Genius political instinct: enemies neutered.
Or not. The veto declined will be telling. We shall see.
The greatest terrorist organization on the face of the earth is the US government and its military.
So now the US Special Operations Command will also be terrorists? And the CIA’s covert operations? They are, see Syria and Libya. See what they did running jihad in Afghanistan.
Maybe this is good. Maybe we need to cover this ground. And add in Israel’s worldwide assassinations too, something nobody else does on that scale.
The US CIA and Saudis created Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden was their agent, then spread it through the MENA. Similar story with ISIS.
The US must sanction and bomb itself.
None of you mentioned the reason for this. So Iran can fall under the AUMF and Trump can order the war against Iran without Congressional declaration.
Yes, this is why we saw news reports of “al Qaeda ” in Iran a couple weeks ago.
So says the the DC regime, the biggest terrorist outfit ever to kill, steal, maim.