This is a follow-up: On the 28th of June, and three days after I wrote the article below, the POTUS announced that he will not be lifting sanctions on Iran.
His hopes for peace and normalization with Iran are likely dashed by the reality that Iran will not change its spots, it will not stop its venomous tantrums, rhetoric, threats, policies and ideological nature.
Meanwhile, yesterday, the Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi issued a Fatwa on the US President. So, despite a smack down, having Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei in Israeli and US sights— Trump claims he pushed to not have Khamenei whacked– Iran continues to be a belligerent problem, and is virtually provoking the US.
Since 1979, the Iranians have been shouting “Death to America”, “Death to Israel,” and “Death to the UK” on a pretty regular basis. The Mullahs consider America the ‘great Satan’ and Israel the ‘little Satan.’ It’s almost impossible that the Shia theocrats in Tehran are going to do a sudden volte-face and normalize relations with whom they consider the Great Satan.
But anything is possible.
If Iran did change and open up some form of normalized relations with the US, I would be suspicious. IMHO, it would be some sort (of religiously sanctioned) deception with an end goal to screw over the US. Tehran has exploited the naivety of the US and the West, and there’s no reason to stop. (The Mullahs have long thought the US and the West weak, but the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities, backed up with some more US threats, perhaps was a rude awakening in Tehran.)
Culture eats strategy for breakfast.
–RdM