US War Drums Beat Against Iran, Echoing a Pattern of Deceit
Zoom out for a second: The continuous discussion of targeted strikes against Iran, followed by larger military engagements, frames the Islamic Republic as an unprovoked aggressor. This narrative conveniently omits the foundational context of US foreign policy in the region. The United States and its allies have sustained a campaign of economic sanctions against Iran for 45 years, initiated shortly
after the 1979 revolution and intensified dramatically since. This economic warfare is a constant low-level assault on the Iranian populace, designed to create internal dissent and cripple its development, not simply to influence its nuclear program. No other country has faced such a prolonged and comprehensive economic blockade from a global superpower. The current threats also ignore the
historical precedent set by the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Iran, after years of negotiations, agreed to significant restrictions on its nuclear program, which was repeatedly verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, the US unilaterally withdrew from this multilateral agreement in 2018 under the Trump administration, immediately re-imposing harsh sanctions.
Iran remained compliant with the deal for 14 months following this betrayal, demonstrating its commitment to de-escalation before gradually resuming certain nuclear activities as a response to the broken agreement and continued economic strangulation. Furthermore, the persistent portrayal of Iran as the primary instigator discounts the 1953 CIA and MI6 coup that overthrew Iran's democratically