President Trump’s withdrawal from the JCPOA and the restoration of maximum pressure sanctions are best understood not as a rupture in US foreign policy, but as a return to first principles.
Excellent piece on how economic isolation reveals what a regime really prioritizes. The Ayandeh Bank collapse is a perfect case study since it shows how elite enrichment schemes fall apart when they cant hide behind foreign capital inflows. I worked with some central banks in emerging markets and the pattern is always similar the moment they lose acess to external liquidity thier balance sheets show where the money actually went.
All seems obvious so why is the EU not responding? Russia is running a war economy that is destroying wealth in munitions killing civilians in Ukraine. Deny them the cash to continue.
Troops must be paid and fed both need that foreign exchange cash. Past time.
Maximum pressure worked because it told the truth. It exposed what Tehran values when excuses run out. When money is plentiful, regimes can pretend moderation while exporting violence. When money disappears, reality intrudes. Iran didn’t collapse because of sanctions—it cracked because it chose missiles over meals and bailouts over reform. Europe should be paying attention. The same moral fog surrounds its Russia policy, where energy payments bankroll aggression while leaders talk sanctions theater. Trump understood something Brussels still resists: leverage comes first, diplomacy second. Economic pressure isn’t cruelty; it’s accountability. Iran proves that denying cash to bad actors can weaken them without firing a shot.
Iran's "crisis" is just another US AID/ CIA/ Mossad backed color revolution. Kicking Iran out of the SWIFT system strengthens the BRIC alternative and weakens the dollar. We should have completely pulled out of the Middle East decades ago and avoided wasting trillions of our tax dollars.
Well written & seems like it should be common sense. “ Diplomacy can work, but best with leverage “. Wasn’t the Soviet Union brought to heel via smart economic moves by Reagan? Wasn’t that long ago.
Well said and absolutely right. The EU needs new leadership. The people have have more brains than they do. They are taking note.
I’m waiting for the NATO speech on,
“How Lucky Trump has Been so Far..”
Excellent piece on how economic isolation reveals what a regime really prioritizes. The Ayandeh Bank collapse is a perfect case study since it shows how elite enrichment schemes fall apart when they cant hide behind foreign capital inflows. I worked with some central banks in emerging markets and the pattern is always similar the moment they lose acess to external liquidity thier balance sheets show where the money actually went.
All seems obvious so why is the EU not responding? Russia is running a war economy that is destroying wealth in munitions killing civilians in Ukraine. Deny them the cash to continue.
Troops must be paid and fed both need that foreign exchange cash. Past time.
Maximum pressure worked because it told the truth. It exposed what Tehran values when excuses run out. When money is plentiful, regimes can pretend moderation while exporting violence. When money disappears, reality intrudes. Iran didn’t collapse because of sanctions—it cracked because it chose missiles over meals and bailouts over reform. Europe should be paying attention. The same moral fog surrounds its Russia policy, where energy payments bankroll aggression while leaders talk sanctions theater. Trump understood something Brussels still resists: leverage comes first, diplomacy second. Economic pressure isn’t cruelty; it’s accountability. Iran proves that denying cash to bad actors can weaken them without firing a shot.
Iran's "crisis" is just another US AID/ CIA/ Mossad backed color revolution. Kicking Iran out of the SWIFT system strengthens the BRIC alternative and weakens the dollar. We should have completely pulled out of the Middle East decades ago and avoided wasting trillions of our tax dollars.
Well written & seems like it should be common sense. “ Diplomacy can work, but best with leverage “. Wasn’t the Soviet Union brought to heel via smart economic moves by Reagan? Wasn’t that long ago.
Well written. Thank you for this.
I only wish there was an entity to put sanctions on DC to put real teeth in reining in the corruption there.
Alas, the entity responsible IS the corrupt rulers in DC and the oligarchs that buy them.