"Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he doubts Trump wants conflict because the president ran on a campaign promise ânot to waste another $7 trillion in our region in order to make the situation only worse.â
But Zarif said what he called âthe B teamâ â Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Arabiaâs Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed â is trying âto push Iran to take actionâ as a pretext for âcrazyâ and âadventurousâ U.S. actions.
I hope one of Zarifâs advisors has an opportunity to discretely remind him that a âB-teamâ is literally the very best you can get from the Trump administration. Most of us in the US assumed Trump had burned through all his B-teamers a long time ago, so this actually comes as a bit of a surprise to us.
Try the language of respect? Ummm, he canât. His narcissism is literally so acute that he perceives showing respect as relinquishing dominance and showing weakness. Canât be done under any circumstances. His ability to disrespect and the amount of disrespect he is able to get away with showing to any given person is, in his mind, directly proportional to how superior he is to that person and how much dominance he has over them.
Oh so many people think that. The idea of stealing resources from another sovereign nation to enrich ourselves is almost a congenital defect in the Caucasian genome.
I am thinking it might just do so after all. Letâs try it and see. I dare you Donny, just to prove him wrong . . . or not. No risk no gain.
"Some people believe that we are looking for a Democratic victory. Democratic governments have been as hostile to Iran as Republican governments. ⌠Itâs just waiting for the White House to become rational, with a Republican or a Democrat.â
Well, there was that Obama feller, Mr, Foreign Minister. You managed to negotiate with him. Yaâll even got some of your impounded deposits back, so donât piss on my leg and tell me itâs raining. Any Râs you think might reach out like that? No, I didnât think so.
I have not seen a single question about what sanctions the US intends to enact against the buyers of Iranian oil especially China. This is potentially a huge deal as if we impose any significant sanctions against China before, or after the trade deal, it would be a huge political embarrassment to Xi.
It is shocking beyond belief that sanctions against China have been ignored by as far as I can tell everyone. The âbusinessâ press, the mainstream, the bloggosphere on every end, everyone.
Maybe TPM could ask somebody, The White House or Treasury or Commerce Department or whoever.
Oh, sir. You donât know with whom you are dealing, yet?
Of course he knows that, but he is a diplomat.He cannot be seen as favoring one party over another,especially with the trumpians in power,
The Saudis want to wipe Iran off the face of the earth. Israel and the US would be satisfied turning it into Yemen. For the Saudis it would to a long way to rendering Shia Islam an historic relic and they hate Persians anyway. Well nobody likes Persians it seems. For the US destroying Iran as a power, economic and political would go a long way to wrecking Chinaâs Belt and Road plan. For Israel it would eliminate the only real opposition from the Islamic world to itâs existence.
âOn Monday, Trump announced the U.S. will no longer exempt any countries
from U.S. sanctions if they continue to buy Iranian oil, a decision that
primarily affects the five remaining major importers: China and India
and U.S. treaty allies Japan, South Korea, Turkey.â
This is the kind of thing that years ago would have had serious repercussions all over the world. Now that 45* has thrown away any American standing, respect or power we might have had, the world shrugs its shoulders - meh.
Any one of those countries could get out from under this fingerwagging if they just âstayed a monthâ at 45* 's hotel.
One of the largest blunders in foreign policy due to the Republicans taking over is reneging on the deal with IranâŚthat was a real chance to bring them back to the table and get them to back down from their support of bad actors and terrorism in the region. Hillary could have done it, world leaders respected her enough to allow a real dialogue and chance for peace through the region. Possibly even in IsraelâŚshe would have pressed Netanyahu to back down from his authoritarian policies and threatened to isolate Israel if it continued on its path.
So much lost potential for peace in the world when Trump took over and turned US policy onto the authoritarian road that so many other nations have been following. No wonder everyone is looking askance at us now, they fear we will become the USSR or Germany 1935 with just a bit more prodding. And, heâs smart enough not to say âplease give us back a Democrat, they will actually be sensible!â because he knows that is a political ad that writes itself for the Republicans, even if itâs the truthâŚthat alone is an indication how the world is worried about the mess going on here.
Economic sanctions are defacto, war. The US has increasingly been using them for decades, Relentlessly increasing their use. Itâs the number one avenue to regime change.
Thatâs why I think itâs funny that Zarif said that.
Kim, Maduero, Xi, etc. are making 2021 plans, because they arenât sure that this country will fix itself in '20.
It wouldnât surprise me if the mullahs are also making plans, but if thatâs so, then what their messenger is saying is basically bullsâ.
Here is what the Saudis did yesterday, the country led by his good friend Mohammed bin Salman. Most probably by beheading, and one crucifixion following his execution.
Zarif to Cheeto Benito: ââŚthe language of respect wonât kill youâŚand even if it does, so much the better for the fate of the world.â
Not exactly quaking in fear. The whole damn world is laughing at Trump.
Try the language of respectâŚ
