BigBallinStalin wrote:If these sanctions are necessary for convincing Iran to not pursue a nuclear research program, then aren't the sanctions already failing?
Iran's going to get their nuclear weapons for Mass Extermination of Cancer (define that as one will), regardless of the sanctions, so what's the point of them?
Why put Iranians through so much misery?
I'd like you to ask yourself a question, but first,
In diplomacy one always gives the adversary an honorable way out. JFK did it with the Russians during the Cuban crisis. The Russians pull out their missiles in Cuba, we pull ours out of Turkey.
Now ask yourself this, is the US really giving Iran an honorable way out?
That is, if Iran does stop enriching uranium to 20%, opens up completely for international inspections, will the US lift sanctions?
If the answer to that question is "yes", then we are trying to prevent the Iranians from building the bomb.
If the answer to that question is "no", then we know the real reason for the sanctions. Regime Change.
If the answer is the latter, then war is almost assured.
Despite the propaganda about Iran and the bomb, no evidence of a nuclear weapons program has ever been found in regards to Iran. Iran, by treaty signed by the US, is legally allowed to build nuclear reactors, enrich uranium to 20% and have nuclear power and isotopes for medical research. Besides, the enrichment needs to be 90% for weapons grade material.
They just recently converted 1/3 of all their enriched uranium into U308 (uranium oxide, used for medical research and completely legal under treaties and international law).
So what's the real goal? Preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons that they aren't developing anyway? Or are we trying to destroy them from within?
Now, I won't shed any tears for the collapse of the Islamo-State. But lets not forget, we are the ones who created the conditions for it to come into being in the first place, through badly thought out foreign policy. I see only the continuation of yet more bad policy.