NCRI Staff
NCRI – When Donald Trump first began talking about the dangers posed by the 2015 nuclear deal, some dismissed it as election rhetoric. This was especially true when he certified Iran’s compliance with the deal (despite clear evidence against) in both April and July.
However, this has all changed following the October decertification when Trump asked Congress to decide whether or not to reimpose sanctions on Iran. This is a major turning point in US policy on Iran and many are left wondering what will happen next.
There are many in Congress (including some Republicans) who oppose Trump’s decision but there are also many (including some Democrats) who applaud it. One thing is clear, Trump is setting his own path with regards to the Iran Regime and won’t be dissuaded by anyone so anyone.
And this is just the beginning. There is also the matter of Trump’s long-awaited Iran policy, which may include sanctions on the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) or even a spot on the list of foreign terrorist organisations.
Mohamad Kawas wrote on Middle East Online: “It seems that Trump’s position on the nuclear deal with Iran is a mere detail that has been quickly appended to the blueprints of a major military and diplomatic campaign aimed at containing Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East.”
He continued: “None of the concerned parties in the Middle East had really opposed the nuclear deal with Iran. Tehran must have patted itself on the back for succeeding to silence the international community. The stage was set for Iran to openly pursue aggressive expansionist policies in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and the Gulf region in general.”
The US policy on Iran goes far beyond just Iranian interference in the other Middle Eastern states; it also seeks to counter the IRGC and end interference by Russia and China.
Despite worries that this Iran policy (including decertification) would cause an uproar from the US’s European and Asian allies, this has not emerged. While the other parties of the nuclear deal have not withdrawn from the agreement (as the US haven’t), they did not oppose Trump’s targeting of the IRGC and will likely not oppose other policies aimed at containing the Regime.
Kawas wrote: “In short, Washington’s new anti-Iran regime strategy in the Middle East will encounter no opposition from the West. Even Moscow, which is quite keen on marking its presence in the Middle East, will avoid antagonising the United States. It might therefore bless America’s actions against the IRGC as a token of Russian-American cooperation.”
