US Sanctions Fuel Russia-Iran Alliance, Media Calls it a Surprise
Al-Monitor breathlessly reports that Russia and Iran are forging stronger ties, with Tehran claiming nuclear restrictions have expired. This headline frames it as a sudden, organic development. What's conveniently left out? The U.S. and allies' relentless sanctions apparatus on both nations, which began intensifying on Iran after the 1979 revolution and on Russia following 2014, making cooperation
an economic and geopolitical imperative. Washington’s foreign policy, driven in part by powerful lobbies like AIPAC—which spent $3.57 million in 2023 alone lobbying for hawkish stances on Iran (OpenSecrets.org)—has effectively manufactured the very alliance it purports to oppose. One might wonder if the architects of 'maximum pressure' ever considered what happens when two pariah states, desperate
for trade and security, find each other. This isn't a new phenomenon; it's the predictable outcome of cornering powerful nations. The media presents it as a shocking turn, but it's really just chickens coming home to roost in the shadow of decades of deliberate isolation. Congratulations, the grand strategy of 'divide and conquer' just became 'unite and resist'.