Trump Targets Iran, Forgets US Sanctions Already Cripple Civilians
Former President Trump declared that any country daring to do business with Iran would face a 25% tariff on their trade with the United States, as reported by Al-Monitor. This 'effective immediately' decree, unveiled on Truth Social, presents itself as an aggressive new deterrent. However, it's merely an escalation in a decades-long saga of U.S. sanctions that have systematically immiserated
ordinary Iranians while failing to change the regime's behavior. We apparently needed a 25% tariff to distinguish these 'bad' business dealings from the 'good' ones (presumably, those that profit U.S. corporations). The U.S. has a history of unilaterally imposing sanctions, often without UN backing, against Iran since the 1979 revolution. These measures, purportedly aimed at nuclear programs or
human rights, have demonstrably crippled the Iranian economy, leading to medicine shortages and widespread poverty. (Reuters, Al-Monitor). Yet, the notion that further financial strangulation will suddenly produce a compliant Tehran, rather than simply fueling anti-U.S. sentiment and potential instability, appears to escape the policy architects. Or perhaps, that’s precisely the point: a
destabilized region often means lucrative arms deals (and subsequent AIPAC donations) for some. How many ways can one financially choke a country before asking if the strategy actually works, or just creates more suffering?