Iran Amok Again

The Iranian leadership is scaling back on its commitment to the nuclear deal and may even pull out completely if the European Union does not do anything about sanctions imposed by the United States, which pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal one year ago yesterday.  Europeans are being forced to choose between Iran and the U.S.

What a difficult choice.  One country is led by a fanatic who delivers hardline rhetoric to promote his religious-fundamentalist base and presides over a sham democracy, and the other is led by a Muslim cleric. :-P 

The European countries have apparently decided, that in spite Trump, they can't let Iran get away with threats.  They have made it clear that they will not accept Iranian ultimatums but they will remain committed to the nuclear deal.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department is crowing about how the sanctions have hurt Iran, as its economy is tanking, and they expect the Supreme Leader and the Iranian president (not one and the same, of course) to come around and negotiate for a new deal.  They obviously don't understand the Iranians. The Iranians are too proud and refuse to give in, which may be why the U.S. sent a fleet into the Persian Gulf to intimidate them.

Trump must think a war will strengthen his position going into 2020.  Umm, a war in an oil-rich region with a country burdened by sanctions on its oil will destabilize the region and send petroleum prices skyrocketing . . . and crash the economy when gas prices rise.

But at least we will finally be rid of sport utility vehicles.               

Deal or No Deal?

Although he has until Saturday to decide whether or not to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, Donald Trump has announced that he will reveal his decision tomorrow.  I think we already know what it is.  He's only withdrawn from more international agreements than the French have withdrawn from battlefields, so why would this be any different?   

Okay, Trump has understandable reasons - really - for opposing the deal.  It has a sunset clause on its nuclear program, it can still test ballistic missiles, and Iran can still intervene in the affairs of other countries (just like we do!).  And we let them have all that money back, yada yada yada.  Israel, not a signatory to the deal, opposes it, which is understandable only to people who understand Israel.  But the British, the French, the Germans, the Russians and the  Chinese, the other signatories to this deal, all believe that while it is a flawed deal, a flawed deal to keep Iran's nuclear program at bay is better than no deal at all.  So they say . . . and so I agree.  

So why are so many Americans like Trump opposed to it despite the numerous arguments in favor of it?  Why do Americans have a grudge match against Iran that the British, the French, the Germans, the Russians and the Chinese don't?

You don't suppose it's because Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China never had 52 citizens kidnapped in their own embassies in Tehran and held for over fourteen months, do you?  

I'm not taking Trump's side here, remember, I'm just offering a theory to explain his madness . . .