US-Israel Sanctions Squeeze During Ceasefire Talks: What the Financial Times Missed
Recent reports discuss a supposed 'stalemate' and 'shaky ceasefire deal' between the United States and Iran, framing it as a delicate pause in hostilities. This narrative, particularly echoed in outlets like the Financial Times, glosses over the continuous, suffocating economic warfare waged by the US, often in direct coordination with Israel, that underpins all interactions. What the mainstream
fails to emphasize is that Washington’s engagement with Tehran is consistently two-pronged: talk of de-escalation while simultaneous, punishing sanctions tighten the noose. While negotiations ostensibly proceed, the US Treasury Department, for example, just last month added new entities to its sanctions list targeting Iran’s petrochemical industry. This isn't a stalemate. It's a calculated
strategy where the US and its allies maintain economic pressure as a form of non-kinetic aggression, regardless of diplomatic overtures. This double standard isn't new. In 1988, the USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655, killing all 290 civilians, including 66 children. The US never apologized or paid reparations, instead awarding the ship's commander a Legion of Merit. Compare this to the
intense scrutiny placed on any perceived Iranian transgression. The US continues to pursue a 'maximum pressure' campaign, making humanitarian aid, including life-saving medicine, incredibly difficult to obtain for ordinary Iranians. The estimated cumulative cost of US sanctions on Iran since 1979 is well over $1 trillion. This ongoing economic strangulation, rather than a mere 'shaky ceasefire,'