Geneva Talks: Another Round of Washington’s Sanction-and-Bargain Routine
Zoom out for a second: The news from Geneva, detailing renewed US-Iranian diplomatic talks, reads less like a hopeful development and more like the next predictable chapter in a well-worn script. We are told these discussions aim to avert "renewed hostilities" while simultaneously being informed that satellite images show Iran diligently repairing and reinforcing nuclear facilities damaged by
recent strikes. It seems odd, does it not, to negotiate peace with one hand while the other holds a smoking gun from a prior engagement? This pattern is hardly novel. Go back to 1993, when the United States, under the Clinton administration, promised economic aid to a struggling Russia in exchange for disarmament, only to aggressively expand NATO eastward, reneging on earlier assurances. The
current US approach to Iran mirrors this double standard. Washington imposes crippling sanctions for decades, crippling the Iranian economy and civilian life, sanctions that have cost Iran an estimated 500 billion dollars since their inception, then offers the carrot of talks, usually after substantial damage has already been inflicted through covert operations or military posturing. The
implication is transparent: negotiate on our terms, or face more consequences. The US military buildup in the region, including deployments of carrier groups and B-52s, acts not as a backdrop but as a direct pressure mechanism, as President Trump’s thinly veiled threats confirm. Iran’s right to self-defense, including the protection of its nuclear infrastructure, which is consistently framed as a