# Iran declines invitation to call Trump about Trump's concerns: Trump the statesman, part 2? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 10, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786 "2019-05-10T16:28:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/241 "2019-06-25T05:14:14Z")
[I think I see part of the problem here](https://apnews.com/73dfcf92de9d4ce0b00f6f11da823098): > [@](#): > > Iran’s U.N. ambassador warned Monday that the situation in the Persian Gulf is “very dangerous” and called talks with the U.S. impossible in the face of escalating sanctions and intimidation, while the U.S. envoy said the Trump administration’s aim is to get Tehran back to negotiations. > [@](#): > > Iranian Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi called the new sanctions another indication of “U.S. hostility” toward the Iranian people. He said the Trump administration should de-escalate tensions by stopping “its military adventurism” in the region, withdrawing its “naval armada” and moving away from “economic warfare against the Iranian people.” > > Acting U.S. Ambassador Jonathan Cohen outlined the U.S. case for blaming Iran for tanker attacks May 12 and June 13 and for shooting down a $100 million U.S. drone in international airspace June 20. Iran denies it attacked the tankers and says the drone was in its airspace. > > “Iran must understand that these attacks are unacceptable,” Cohen said. “It’s time for the world to join us in saying so.” > > Cohen reiterated that U.S. policy “remains an economic and diplomatic effort to bring Iran back to the negotiating table.” He repeated his call to meet diplomacy with diplomacy, noting that Iran dismissed it two weeks ago as “inflammatory.” Who the fuck do they think they’re fooling? :smack: Oh, right: I live in America. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/242 "2019-06-25T11:25:34Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [the last minute or so is pretty compelling IMO](https://youtu.be/scuBPjcjufU?t=559) …which is exactly what I said in post #236. No, Iran is not going to just trust the US when a Democrat gets elected, and he’s right: neither will North Korea or anyone else. The world has come to understand what it means when Americans elect Republicans: regime change and neo-imperialism or neo-hegemony. The world will simply get out the stopwatch and wait until we idiotically vote for another Republican president. I don’t live outside the US, but I would imagine that, frankly, this shit gets old. And this is how America loses its alliances, and its edge, **forever**. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/243 "2019-06-25T13:31:14Z")
[Iran calls new US sanctions ‘outrageous and idiotic’](https://apnews.com/67299afa909d44a7ad83ae5690c7dde2). > [@](#): > > “You sanction the foreign minister simultaneously with a request for talks,” an exasperated Rouhani said and called the sanctions “outrageous and idiotic.” > > “The White House is afflicted by mental retardation and does not know what to do,” Rouhani added. This backs up my perception of Iran’s position: > [@](#): > > However, in Iran’s case, there are no signs Iranian leadership would welcome talks. Here’s the really, really stupid part: > [@](#): > > Meanwhile, the U.S. envoy at the United Nations, Jonathan Cohen, said the Trump administration’s aim is to get Tehran back to negotiations. “Your methods are failing. You are accomplishing the opposite of your stated goals with your preferred methods. Stop before people get killed.” The US is saying this to Iran but the world is saying the same thing to the US. If the US expects Iran to listen to their demands, why shouldn’t the world think the US should listen to the world’s demands? And why should anyone listen to the US, since we can’t be trusted to keep our word? Good job, Team Trump! You’ve backed us into a corner; now start digging that hole! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/244 "2019-06-25T13:53:55Z")
Oh! They’re digging! > [@](#): > > Meanwhile, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said Trump was open to real negotiations to eliminate Iran’s nuclear weapons program and “all that Iran needs to do is walk through that open door.” > [@](#): > > “As we speak, American diplomatic representatives are surging across the Middle East, seeking a path to peace. In response, Iran’s silence has been deafening,” he said. “There is simply no evidence that Iran has made the strategic decision to renounce nuclear weapons and open realistic discussions to demonstrate that decision.” > > But only hours later, Bolton told a news conference that “all options remain on the table” if Iran goes over the limit for its low-enriched uranium stockpile as planned by Thursday. > > “It would not be in their interest to do it but they have done a lot of things recently that are not in their interest,” Bolton said. Translation: “They aren’t doing what we want them to do. Even tho we keep hitting them, they aren’t doing what we want them to. Why do they keep making us hit them???” ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/245 "2019-06-25T14:27:01Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > Zarif has repeatedly been blaming what he calls the #B\_Team for trying to foment a war with Iran - the four “B’s” of John Bolton (U.S.), Bibi Netanyahu (Israel), bin Zayed (U.A.E.), and bin Salman (Saudi Arabia). Well, he’s wrong about the second one. The last thing Netanyahu wants is an actual war with Iran, for obvious reasons. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/246 "2019-06-25T14:28:40Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Well, he’s wrong about the second one. The last thing Netanyahu wants is an actual war with Iran, for obvious reasons. Would he welcome a US war with Iran? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/247 "2019-06-25T14:45:23Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Would he welcome a US war with Iran? God no. What if the U.S. wins? How can he keep getting re-elected if he can’t act tough on Iran? Bibi Netanyahu has never met a status quo he didn’t want to maintain. It’s in his nature. Besides, the Iranians already have over 130,000 rockets positioned in Lebanon and Syria, all aimed at Israel. If the U.S. attacks, they won’t hesitate to give the order to launch. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/248 "2019-06-25T15:29:43Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > God no. What if the U.S. wins? How can he keep getting re-elected if he can’t act tough on Iran? Bibi Netanyahu has never met a status quo he didn’t want to maintain. It’s in his nature. > > Besides, the Iranians already have over 130,000 rockets positioned in Lebanon and Syria, all aimed at Israel. If the U.S. attacks, they won’t hesitate to give the order to launch. Israeli [_Haaretz_ newspaper](https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-netanyahu-s-iran-dilemma-how-to-get-trump-to-act-without-being-on-front-line-1.7269100): > [@](#): > > In this conflict, Israel is hoping to have its cake and eat it too. Ever since Trump was elected president two and a half years ago, Netanyahu has been urging him to take a more aggressive line toward Iran, in order to force it to make additional concessions on its nuclear program and disrupt its support for militant organizations. [_Haaretz_ again](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-if-iran-u-s-trump-war-israel-netanyahu-will-be-prime-suspect-1.7249974): > [@](#): > > Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the only world leader to openly express support for the escalating U.S. campaign against Iran. > … > But even without his damning testimony from the past, and even if Netanyahu doesn’t say another word, if war breaks out between the U.S. and Iran, he will be named as the prime suspect as far as its opponents are concerned. Netanyahu, with the assistance of like-minded allies in the U.S. and the Middle East, persuaded Donald Trump to abandon Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. Netanyahu convinced Trump that a combination of crippling economic sanctions and a credible military threat will force Tehran to beg for a new and improved nuclear deal, which will include its malevolent regional activities which were not addressed in “Obama’s deal”. And given that countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are far more belligerent towards Iran in private than they are in public, Netanyahu became a one-man cheerleading squad for Trump’s latest moves. > … > Netanyahu, one must note, is hardly looking forward to an imminent outbreak of hostilities, even if its participants are the B-52’s and Lincoln aircraft carrier that Trump seemingly dispatched to the Gulf. The immense loss of life, damage to Israel’s economy and potential war with Lebanon that would ensue from an Iranian diktat to Hezbollah to unleash hundreds if not thousands of precision-guided rockets on Israeli population centers in retaliation for a U.S. attack are enough to curb any Israeli enthusiasm for an American clash with Iran – though Netanyahu might nonetheless believe it’s a price worth paying. > > Netanyahu believes that the Iranian leadership, like much of the Arab, understands only force. He is convinced that intense economic pressure coupled with the nightmarish specter of American bombers laying waste to their country will compel Tehran to come back to the negotiating table on all fours in order to carve out the fabled “better agreement” that both Trump and Netanyahu claim, with no evidence, is eminently achievable. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/249 "2019-06-25T20:57:21Z")
[Senior Russian official says](https://www.newsweek.com/russia-iran-us-israel-drone-ally-1445802): - Iran is still an ally and partner of Russia _“Iran has always been and remains our ally and partner, with which we are consistently developing relations both on bilateral basis and within multilateral formats.”_ - Iran is not the major threat to regional security _“This is why we believe that it is inadmissible to describe Iran as the major threat to the regional security and, moreover, to put it on par with the Islamic State or any other terrorist organization.”_ - U.S. drone was in Iranian airspace _[He has] “information from the Russian Defense Ministry that this drone was in Iranian airspace.”_ ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/250 "2019-06-25T23:11:28Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > [Senior Russian official says](https://www.newsweek.com/russia-iran-us-israel-drone-ally-1445802): > > - Iran is still an ally and partner of Russia > > _“Iran has always been and remains our ally and partner, with which we are consistently developing relations both on bilateral basis and within multilateral formats.”_ > > - Iran is not the major threat to regional security > > _“This is why we believe that it is inadmissible to describe Iran as the major threat to the regional security and, moreover, to put it on par with the Islamic State or any other terrorist organization.”_ > > - U.S. drone was in Iranian airspace > > _[He has] “information from the Russian Defense Ministry that this drone was in Iranian airspace.”_ I have trouble keeping track: Are we believing what Russia says this week or not? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/251 "2019-06-25T23:30:52Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I have trouble keeping track: Are we believing what Russia says this week or not? You’ll need to check with Trump’s twitter feed. Even his own cabinet cannot answer your question without doing that first. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/252 "2019-06-25T23:53:34Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I have trouble keeping track: Are we believing what Russia says this week or not? Ironically, the President of the United States publicly told the world that he believed the Russian President when he said that Russia didn’t interfere in the U.S. election, despite in that case there being actual real evidence that they did: > [@Donald Trump](#): > > “He just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be. So I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.” I don’t have great faith in Putin/Russia’s ability to speak truth, but when Trump and his Administration repeatedly lie about everything - lie probably more than any elected leader/government in the history of democracy - then one cannot have much faith in what the U.S. say either. It’s basically Trump-led U.S.'s word against Iran and Russia’s word. I don’t trust any of these parties, so I’m still open-minded about where the drone was shot down, until someone produces some actual verifiable evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/253 "2019-06-26T07:00:26Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > Israeli [_Haaretz_ newspaper](https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-netanyahu-s-iran-dilemma-how-to-get-trump-to-act-without-being-on-front-line-1.7269100): > [_Haaretz_ again](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-if-iran-u-s-trump-war-israel-netanyahu-will-be-prime-suspect-1.7249974): Heh. Haaretz’s relationship with Bibi is oddly similar to Bibi’s relationship with Iran; let’s just say that if Netanyahu had actually started the number of wars Haaretz has said he wanted to start over the years, we’d all be dead three times over. But hey, selling newspapers is rough in today’s market. That said, they got one thing right: whatever happens, people will blame Israel. ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/254 "2019-06-26T12:58:37Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Heh. Haaretz’s relationship with Bibi is oddly similar to Bibi’s relationship with Iran; Why is it “oddly” similar? That sounds like you’re implying that the _Haaretz_ newspaper might be in cahoots with Iran. Could _Haaretz_’ criticism of Netanyahu be because Haaretz is a left-leaning newspaper and Netanyahu is pretty far to the right on the political spectrum, and they therefore have different outlooks on the world? [Reuters](https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-israel-election-usa/at-home-and-abroad-netanyahu-faces-backlash-for-far-right-alliance-idUKKCN1QD0M6), February 2019: > [@](#): > > Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has touched off rare criticism from AIPAC, the largest U.S. pro-Israel lobby, over an election alliance with a far-right party loyal to the policies of the late anti-Arab rabbi, Meir Kahane. > > Faced with a new merger of centrist parties that opinion polls show might defeat him, Netanyahu engineered the deal between Jewish Power and another ultranationalist faction, Jewish Home, on Wednesday. > … > But criticism levelled by AIPAC and another major U.S. Jewish group, the American Jewish Committee (AJC), against Jewish Power dominated coverage in Israel on Sunday of the closely-contested race. > > “AIPAC has a longstanding policy not to meet with members of this racist and reprehensible party,” the lobbying group said, echoing comments tweeted by the AJC. > > AIPAC has generally provided unflinching backing for Netanyahu’s policies during his 13 years in power, even as some U.S. Jewish organisations have expressed reservations over Israel’s lurch to the right. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/255 "2019-06-26T18:06:35Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > Why is it “oddly” similar? That sounds like you’re implying that the _Haaretz_ newspaper might be in cahoots with Iran. Could _Haaretz_’ criticism of Netanyahu be because Haaretz is a left-leaning newspaper and Netanyahu is pretty far to the right on the political spectrum, and they therefore have different outlooks on the world? > > [Reuters](https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-israel-election-usa/at-home-and-abroad-netanyahu-faces-backlash-for-far-right-alliance-idUKKCN1QD0M6), February 2019: No, no, you’re missing my analogy - just like Netanyahu needs Iran to be a threat to get re-elected, Haaretz needs Netanyahu to be a warmongering maniac in order to justify its own existence. However, while I agree with them that Bibi is essentially a piece of shit (hence his recent alliance with the far right), I also happen believe that he is a blowhard, a milquetoast and an empty suit, who talks tough but is incapable of following through. He may very well cause a war to start through neglect and procrastination, but he will never start one intentionally. For better or for worse, he just doesn’t have it in him. In fact, I would not be surprised if Netanyahu was one of the people who talked Trump down from attacking Iran. That would be just his style: loudly threatening Iran one moment, quietly dialing back the conflict the next. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/256 "2019-06-26T20:46:37Z")
Here’s a neat little couple of paragraphs that introduced Thomas Friedman’s latest piece in the NY Times: > [@Thomas Friedman](#): > > If you’re keeping score at home on the Trump foreign policy, let me try to put it in a nutshell: The president has engaged America in a grand struggle to reshape the modern behavior of two of the world’s oldest civilizations — Persia and China — at the same time. > > Pressing both to change is not crazy. What’s crazy is the decision to undertake such a huge endeavor without tightly defined goals, without allies to achieve those goals, without a strong and coherent national security team and without a plan on how to sync up all of President Trump’s competing foreign policy objectives. As the title of Friedman’s piece asks: [What’s to Worry About?](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/opinion/trump-china-iran.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage) Let me answer Friedman’s title with the title of this thread: Trump the Statesman? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/257 "2019-06-26T21:07:54Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Here’s a neat little couple of paragraphs that introduced Thomas Friedman’s latest piece in the NY Times: > > As the title of Friedman’s piece asks: [What’s to Worry About?](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/opinion/trump-china-iran.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage) > > Let me answer Friedman’s title with the title of this thread: Trump the Statesman? Wait…is this guy claiming Trump HAS ‘foreign policy objectives’?? 😛 Yeah, it actually is worse, as he is also simultaneously taking on Mexico, Europe, Canada and just about everyone else at one level or another. Really, the China part is necessary, but he is so disjointed and ill-coordinated that it’s tough to even understand what goals he has, or if he has any at all. Is the point to bring those good, high wage low skill jobs back to the US? Is it to stop China from intellectual property theft? WTO violations? Is it a fight about national security concerns or is it 5G competition and the fact that the first country to bring 5G to the market will have a huge advantage? Or is it about Trump’s huge hands? I honestly have no idea and I seriously doubt he does either. He certainly hasn’t gone about this in a coherent way, lining up our allies and support for a US push on this, strengthening ties in the region and offering the US as an alternative to China. Just the opposite, in fact…he’s pushed away allies and pissed off potential regional partners at the same time he’s ramped up his trade war. It’s…well, it’s insane. The folks who think this dude is playing 3D chess are just delusional, IMHO. Myself, while I have almost zero sympathy for Iran, especially the Iranian fundamentalist totalitarian government, they should just play for time IMHO. Eventually, Trump will be gone one way or another, and presumably a more sane and coherent government will be in place. China should do the same thing. Sadly, while I think China needs to be confronted, my WAG is that once Trump is out the follow on government will simply hit the reset button and take us back to status quo ante-Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/258 "2019-06-27T14:16:54Z")
[The effort to build a coalition to wage war on Iran has not been met with enthusiasm by our NATO allies.](https://apnews.com/d543b2bb12fb4615ae8acfcedd2b6444) > [@](#): > > Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he came away with no firm commitments from NATO allies to participate in a global effort to secure international waterways against Iran. > > He says the U.S. will provide more details to allies next month on how the Iranian threat has escalated and how they can work together to deter further aggression. > > The U.S. has blamed Iran for recent attacks on oil tankers near the Persian Gulf. > > A senior U.S .official says allies expressed interest in Esper’s request during their meetings in Brussels. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private discussions. > > NATO allies have expressed reluctance to get involved in any military effort to help secure the region. Europe wants more emphasis on minimizing the chances of war. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/259 "2019-06-28T18:28:46Z")
[Behold, INSTEX!](https://apnews.com/cf93d605aed843bfa1bd2e8a7a6526fb) > [@](#): > > European countries want to convince Iran to stick to its nuclear deal with world powers, and have created a payment system that would facilitate some forms of trade with Iran in the face of financial sanctions and pressure from the U.S. > > President Donald Trump has pulled the U.S. out of the nuclear deal, in which Iran agreed to limit its nuclear efforts in return for a lifting of painful economic sanctions. To keep the deal going without the U.S., Europe has told Iran it will find a way to keep doing business outside normal financial channels. > > European countries have dubbed their trade mechanism INSTEX, for Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges. Now let’s see how the US responds eh. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2019, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786/260 "2019-07-01T16:01:58Z")
[AP story here](https://apnews.com/3e2d08074a4f4256ba6ee379cdb168f7). > [@](#): > > Iran acknowledged Monday it had broken the limit set on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by the 2015 nuclear deal, marking its first major departure from the unraveling agreement a year after the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the accord. > > Iran had been expected for days to acknowledge it broke the limit after earlier warning it would do so. It held off on publicly making an announcement as European leaders met Friday in Vienna to discuss ways to save the accord. Iran has threatened to increase its enrichment of uranium closer to weapons-grade levels by July 7. > [@](#): > > Breaking the stockpile limit by itself doesn’t radically change the one year experts say Iran would need to have enough material for an atomic bomb, if to choose to pursue one. Iran long has insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, despite Western fears about it. And they aren’t just meandering along here: > [@](#): > > Under terms of the nuclear deal, Iran agreed to have less than 300 kilograms (661 pounds) of uranium enriched to a maximum of 3.67%. Previously, Iran enriched as high as 20%, which is a short technical step away from reaching weapons-grade levels. It also held up to 10,000 kilograms (22,046 pounds) of the higher-enriched uranium. > > At the time of the 2015 deal, which was agreed to by Iran, the United States, China, Russia, Germany, France and Britain, experts believed Iran needed anywhere from several weeks to three months to have enough material for a bomb. > > Zarif was quoted as also saying that the country remained on track to raise its enrichment if Europe did not take any additional steps toward saving the accord. > > “The next step is about the 3.67% limitation, which we will implement too,” he warned. Russia is, of course, using the opportunity to loudly point their finger at the US cause of the situation (and yes, it helps them that they are correct) AND be the voice of reason; it’s shameful that an American president has handed these PR opportunities to our adversaries. > [@](#): > > In Moscow, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov noted that Iran had warned in advance it was going to exceed the limit set by the deal and emphasized that Tehran’s move followed “unthinkable” U.S. pressure. > > “It didn’t come as a surprise, Iran long has warned about it,” Ryabkov said Monday. > > “Exceeding the 300-kilogram limit causes regret, but shouldn’t be overdramatized. It must be seen as a natural result of the preceding events,” Ryabkov said. “Iran has faced an unprecedented and unthinkable U.S. sanction pressure, effectively meaning a total oil embargo, an attempt to strangle a sovereign state.” > > “We are calling on all European members of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action not to heat up the situation,” he added, using the accord’s formal name. “We are urging our Iranian colleagues to be extremely responsible regarding their actions, particularly those that concern Iran’s fulfillment of comprehensive guarantees with the IAEA and an additional protocol to the agreement.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iran-declines-invitation-to-call-trump-about-trumps-concerns-trump-the-statesman-part-2/833786.md?page=14)