Iran has been engaged in escalating attacks for years, usually through the mechanism of thinly veiled proxies. They have been escalating these attacks because there has not been significant pushback.
They have funded, trained, supported attacks against a variety of targets--American, Israeli, Saudi, ships from various nations at sea.
Iran has been engaged in escalating attacks for years, usually through the mechanism of thinly veiled proxies. They have been escalating these attacks because there has not been significant pushback.
They have funded, trained, supported attacks against a variety of targets--American, Israeli, Saudi, ships from various nations at sea.
If they are religious extremists motivated only by their religious views and extremism (which I seriously doubt, given the nature of their activities over the years) then no negotiations are actually possible with them and you would be foolish in the extreme to lift sanctions and provide them with MORE resources.
What you have been looking at over the past several years is a three way contest between Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Israel (with Israel largely stuck in the middle as the ethnic/religious differences actually preclude them positioning as an acceptable hegemon) about who gets to be the regional hegemon. It is part of a larger, historical contest between the Iranians (Persians) and the Arabs/Ottomans/ Byzantines/Romans (yes it goes back THAT far).
It is exacerbated by the ethnic and religious differences (Sunni v Shia and Arab v Iranian), with Israel thrown in as a handy target and rallying point/tool for Iran (and, in the past the Sauds).
The last thing you want to do at this point is lift sanctions. So what is there to actually negotiate?
Imagine how they will act WHEN they get nuclear weapons (because it is a question of when, not if).
We had an opportunity with the deal negotiated prior to Trump taking office--and then that got shat all over. There is, at this point, no real grounds for negotiations.
Iran has been engaged in escalating attacks for years, usually through the mechanism of thinly veiled proxies. They have been escalating these attacks because there has not been significant pushback.
They have funded, trained, supported attacks against a variety of targets--American, Israeli, Saudi, ships from various nations at sea.
If they are religious extremists motivated only by their religious views and extremism (which I seriously doubt, given the nature of their activities over the years) then no negotiations are actually possible with them and you would be foolish in the extreme to lift sanctions and provide them with MORE resources.
What you have been looking at over the past several years is a three way contest between Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Israel (with Israel largely stuck in the middle as the ethnic/religious differences actually preclude them positioning as an acceptable hegemon) about who gets to be the regional hegemon. It is part of a larger, historical contest between the Iranians (Persians) and the Arabs/Ottomans/ Byzantines/Romans (yes it goes back THAT far).
It is exacerbated by the ethnic and religious differences (Sunni v Shia and Arab v Iranian), with Israel thrown in as a handy target and rallying point/tool for Iran (and, in the past the Sauds).
The last thing you want to do at this point is lift sanctions. So what is there to actually negotiate?
Imagine how they will act WHEN they get nuclear weapons (because it is a question of when, not if).
We had an opportunity with the deal negotiated prior to Trump taking office--and then that got shat all over. There is, at this point, no real grounds for negotiations.