The Consequences of the Iran Deal Unfold

No matter how many times conservatives say it, liberal elites don’t seem to get it: If you appease aggressors and bullies you will get more aggression and bullying. That is precisely what we see, predictably so, since the Iran deal was concluded and the Senate filibuster held.

The Post reports today: “Jason Rezaian, The Washington Post correspondent in Tehran imprisoned for more than 14 months has been convicted in an espionage trial that ended two months ago, Iranian State TV has reported. . . . Martin Baron, executive editor of the Post, called the guilty verdict ‘an outrageous injustice’ and ‘contemptible.'” It was also predictable once we agreed that imposition of any sanctions — presumably even for egregious human rights violations such as this — would free Iran from the terms of the nuclear deal. Jason Rezaian is effectively a hostage, subject to the whims of a tyrannical regime — and so is American foreign policy.

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In the last 24 hours Iran has also thumbed its nose at the “international community” with the firing of a land-to-air missile. Sanctions guru Mark Dubowitz tells me this violates Annex B of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015) : “Iran is called upon not to undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such ballistic missile technology, until the date eight years after the JCPOA Adoption Day or until the date on which the IAEA submits a report confirming the Broader Conclusion, whichever is earlier.” Dubowitz explains that “Iran has made it clear that it has no intention of complying with UNSCR 2231 (2015) and sees missile tests as permitted under the JCPOA. This is a test case for the Obama administration to make it clear to Iran that a violation of UNSCR 2231 will be considered a violation of the JCPOA and/or will trigger the reimposition of provisions of all other relevant UN Security Council Resolutions on Iran, including, in the case of long range ballistic missiles capable of carrying a warhead, UNSCR 1929 (2010).” One can bet the administration will, as it does with all Iranian provocations, become the regimes defender insisting this is no big deal and that we will promptly register our “concern.”

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Read the full article here.