WhatFinger


Obama must quit his pen-palling habit with the Iranian regime's supreme leader, and make the right choice by adopting a tough stance against the Iranian regime and its allies and proxies in the region

Obama's failed approach to rein in Iran's nuclear ambitions



With the specter of the November 24 deadline looming on the horizon, a tough and determined position toward Iran is essential in saving the day. But President Barack Obama seems to be poised on repeating his previous mistakes in dealing with the Iranian regime. That is what his latest letter to the Iranian regime's supreme leader Ali Khamenei indicates, in which he made cooperation with Iran against ISIS on achieving a nuclear deal. The missive--which happened to be the fourth of its kind--was riddled with misconceptions, and proves that despite his failed attempts, Obama is still adamant that he can tackle one of the most vicious regimes through rapprochement.
First, President Obama thinks Iran will willingly give up its nuclear ambitions, a strategic project for which it has spent billions of dollars' worth of the country's assets and which it sees as essential to its survival. Past experience has already proven that the Iranian regime only yields ground under pressure and in face of a resolute policy. With just a few days remaining to the November 24 deadline for a final agreement to be hammered between Iran and the P5+1 (U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China, and Germany), the Iranian regime continues its illicit activities and has yet to clarify obscure and suspicious aspects of its program pertaining to weaponization and possible military dimensions. The Obama administration has already given too many concessions to the Iranian regime by allowing it to keep its uranium enrichment program. Instead of preventing Iran from obtaining the nuclear bomb, Obama has settled down to deferring its capability to produce one. But given Obama's weak approach, even the extension of Iran's breakout time is becoming wishful thinking. With what little remains of the talks, the parties are alluding to another extension to the talks, which will allow the Iranian regime to pocket more sanctions-relief money while maintaining its bomb-producing facilities. Only a tough stance will force Iran to acquiesce to any form of agreement that will--relatively speaking--limit its path to the nuclear bomb. Even then, granted Iran's history of deceit and trickery, one should remain skeptical of the Iranian regime and expect it to cheat its way to the atomic bomb.

Support Canada Free Press


Second, Obama wrongly believes that he can cajole Khamenei to concede to a nuclear agreement if he dangles promises of cooperating with the Iranian regime in regards with the threat of the Islamic State (also dubbed ISIS or ISIL), the extremist group that has occupied large stretches of land straddling Syria and Iraq in past months. As it happens, the Iranian regime is quite happy with having the Islamic State around for a while, especially since it is giving Tehran the perfect excuse to empower its militia proxies in Iraq. And Obama's lack of a clear roadmap for fighting the Islamic State is providing Iran's regional ambitions with awindfall, allowing it to reap the benefits of the airstrikes carried out by the U.S.-led coalition. Iran is using the Islamic State as an excuse to rally tens of thousands of people to its militia groups in Iraq and expand its influence and control through sheer brutality, a venture that is already exacerbating tensions in a country that is ravaged by sectarian strife. But Obama's third and perhaps saddest mistake was his attempt at assuaging Khamenei's fears by promising that his close ally in Syria, the regime of embattled president Bashar al-Assad, would not be targeted on the sidelines of the war against the Islamic State. This will surely undermine Obama's own efforts and send the wrong message to his allies both in the battlefield and the neighboring countries. It will also come as a blow to the millions of Syrians who have seen their lives torn apart in the past three-and-half years by Assad's brutal forces and his allies in Tehran. In fact, the only thing that Obama has gotten right is that it is Khamenei who has the final say in Iran, and dealing with showcase pieces like Rouhani or his ever-smiling foreign minister Javad Zarif, is useless. But Obama's writing-to-Khamenei tactic is tested and failed, and will not get him any closer to reining in the Iranian regime's regional and nuclear ambitions. In six years, it has only resulted in a nuclear-threshold Iran, a dysfunctional Iraq, and a war-torn Syria. Now, with the Middle East at a critical juncture, it is time for President Obama to rethink his strategy, and avoid repeating his past mistakes. He must quit his pen-palling habit with the Iranian regime's supreme leader, and make the right choice by adopting a tough stance against the Iranian regime and its allies and proxies in the region.

Recommended by Canada Free Press



View Comments

Amir Basiri -- Bio and Archives

Amir Basiri is an Iranian human rights activist and supporter of democratic regime change in Iran.

Follow him on Twitter: @Amir_bas


Sponsored