Even as Israel attacked an Iranian cargo ship in the Red Sea, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu used a speech at the Israeli Holocaust memorial to warn the world that a deal with Iran was “useless,” akin to making a deal with Nazis, and that Israel would take into its own hands its security against the “existential” threat that he claims Iran poses.
The recent China-Iran strategic cooperation agreement will unquestionably benefit the Iranian government’s desire for foreign investment, a market for oil, and pushback against diplomatic isolation. But it is less certain that it will help the Iranian people.
An AIPAC letter aimed at keeping Biden from returning to the Iran deal got only 43 signatures, which shows that Biden has the political capital he needs to reenter the deal. But he has shown a timidity, born of attacks by the rightwing Israel lobby, and won’t even lift sanctions for humanitarian purposes related to the pandemic, as he urged Donald Trump to do a year ago.
This weekend, Iran and China signed a 25-year cooperation agreement which will cover economic, political, and cultural relations. Juan Cole writes that China’s entry into Iran is the most consequential change in the geopolitics of the Middle East since the the collapse of the Soviet Union.
It’s become monotonous. The ‘NY Times’ reports on U.S.-Iranian relations — and leaves out the Israel angle entirely.
Bob Menendez is risking a war with Iran by opposing Biden on Iran deal. He owes as much to the right-wing Israel lobby, which saved his hide in 2015 when he opposed the deal, the Obama Justice Department indicted him for corruption, and Haim Saban and Seth Klarman supported his successful defense.
Joe Biden repeatedly said he wanted to rejoin the Iran Deal if he became president. But now that he’s president, things aren’t so clear.
The Trump administration violated the Iran Deal, and Joe Biden repeatedly said he wanted to rejoin it if he ended up becoming president. But now that Biden is president, things aren’t so clear.
Joe Biden is dithering on his promise to return to the Iran deal, under pressure from Bob Menendez and other Democrats beholden to the Israel lobby. The lobby’s ability to influence the White House’s definition of the American interest in the Middle East in Israel’s favor is a longstanding tradition, and it’s just a pity the media continually fall for it.
Israeli security officials let out a sigh of relief when nuclear deal was signed in 2015, but Netanyahu uses Iran for political purposes. So says former deputy chief of staff Yair Golan in Washington Post. US media need to highlight this news.