Iran is already winning
The ayatollahs are smiling
Behnam Ben Taleblu
6 February 2021
9:00 AM
The popular Persian proverb, ‘the spatula has hit the bottom of the pot’ artfully explains the erosion of luck, capability, or financial wherewithal. With the inauguration of President Joe Biden however, Iranian officials may soon cease using the phrase. Although mistrust of and enmity with America on a bipartisan basis remain, regime elites understand that the new administration is eager to score a diplomatic win, spiting its predecessor, while assiduously avoiding a military confrontation. Taken together, these sentiments offer the Islamic Republic a path to victory even before negotiations commence.
So how did we get here?
Since leaving the Iran nuclear deal —the JCPOA — in May 2018, the Trump administration employed unilateral sanctions to dry-up Iranian revenues and push it towards the negotiating table. On limited occasions, Washington resorted to using military force, as demonstrated in January 2020 with the killing of Iran’s chief terrorist, Qassem Soleimani, or elsewhere in Iraq in response to the killing of American soldiers by pro-Iran militias. The administration also continued supporting Iranian protestors, who were taking to the streets more often and more aggressively than in years past. This policy, known as ‘maximum pressure’, produced substantial macroeconomic contraction and domestic political pressure for Tehran. When married up with Israel’s military pushback in Syria, and what many assume to be Israel’s targeted killing of Iran’s top military nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the policy landed some powerful blows.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2021/02/iran-is-already-winning/
