WarSclerotic

Reassuring, not challenging, Iran, Israel Hayom, Elliott Abrams, December 25, 2015

Since the signing of the nuclear deal with Islamic Republic of Iran, that government has ‎treated the Obama administration with contempt. U.S. officials might have hoped Iran’s ‎conduct would improve, but it has worsened. Iran sent more Revolutionary Guard troops to ‎fight in Syria, for example; it conducted two ballistic missile tests in violation of a Security ‎Council resolution; leaders continue to chant “Death to America”; and it has imprisoned ‎more Americans.‎

What is the Obama administration’s response? To beg their pardon.‎

I refer to a remarkable letter sent by Secretary of State John Kerry to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad ‎Zarif. Iran, in an additional gesture of contempt, has complained about new United States ‎visa requirements placed on persons who have traveled to Iran (or Iraq, Sudan, or Syria). ‎These requirements were recently added so that people who had visited those countries ‎could not come to the United States without getting a visa even if they were from countries ‎that are part of the “visa waiver” program. The obvious purpose: to avoid having terrorists ‎get to the United States through a program that allows them to avoid the visa application ‎process and the information it would supply.‎

Iran has complained that “Zionist lobbyists” put the new rules in place, a good reminder of ‎the nature of the regime.‎

How did the United States react? By denouncing the Iranian attacks on “Zionist lobbyists,” ‎which came from the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry? By noting that Iran is the world’s ‎worst state sponsor of terrorism? By recalling the fact that Iran just violated U.N. Security ‎Council resolutions, and continues to jail innocent American citizens?‎

Nope. By offering reassurance that we certainly do not mean to disadvantage Iran in any ‎possible way. Here is the text of Kerry’s letter:‎

“December 19, 2015‎

“His Excellency Mohammad Javad Zarif

“Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Tehran

“Dear Mr. Minister:‎

“Thanks for a constructive meeting yesterday. I wanted to get back to you in response to your ‎inquiry about amendments to our Visa Waiver Program. First, I want to confirm to you that ‎we remain fully committed to the sanctions lifting provided for under the JCPOA. We will ‎adhere to the full measure of our commitments, per the agreement. Our team is working ‎hard to be prepared and as soon as we reach implementation day we will lift appropriate ‎sanctions.‎

“I am also confident that the recent changes in visa requirements passed in Congress, which ‎the Administration has the authority to waive, will not in any way prevent us from meeting ‎our JCPOA commitments, and that we will implement them so as not to interfere with ‎legitimate business interests of Iran. To this end, we have a number of potential tools ‎available to us, including multiple entry 10-year business visas, programs for expediting ‎business visas, and the waiver authority provided under the new legislation. I am happy to ‎discuss this further and provide any additional clarification.‎

“Secretary of State John Kerry”

Let’s put aside the thanks to Zarif for a “constructive meeting.” We can be sure that Zarif ‎was advancing Iranian national interests, and for doing that, he deserves no thanks from us. ‎The tone of the letter would be fine were it addressed to the foreign minister of Canada. ‎Must we really assure the representative of this vile, repressive regime that regardless of its ‎behavior, we will bend over backward and use every tool possible (“we have a number of potential tools ‎available to us, including multiple entry 10-year business visas, programs for expediting ‎business visas, and the waiver authority provided under the new legislation”) to ‎defend and advance its “legitimate business interests?”‎

Here’s one of many possible alternative formulations: The ability and willingness of the ‎United States government to use the tools at its disposal will depend on the treatment Iran ‎accords American citizens whom it has unjustly detained and imprisoned. Kerry seems ‎more worried about offending Iran than freeing those Americans — whose imprisonment was ‎an issue set aside during the nuclear negotiations. Must we set it aside forever as we ‎protect Iran’s “legitimate business interests”‎?

This entry was posted on December 25, 2015 at 3:48 PM and is filed under Foreign policy, Iran and Israel, Iran and terror, Iran scam, Kerry, Obama and Iran. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: Foreign Policy, Iran and Israel, Iran and terror, Iran Scam, Kerry, Obama and Iran