{"id":504,"date":"2020-09-16T23:56:53","date_gmt":"2020-09-16T23:56:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breaking-the-silence.online\/index.php\/2020\/09\/16\/focused-on-his-signature-foreign-policy-initiative-the-iran-nuclear-deal\/"},"modified":"2024-09-14T06:25:06","modified_gmt":"2024-09-14T06:25:06","slug":"focused-on-his-signature-foreign-policy-initiative-the-iran-nuclear-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/2020\/09\/16\/focused-on-his-signature-foreign-policy-initiative-the-iran-nuclear-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Focused on his signature foreign policy initiative \u2014 the Iran nuclear deal."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Iran<\/a>\u2019s missile attack after the US assassination targeting Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, and Hashd Shaabi Commander al-Muhandis in Baghdad<\/a> has opened a new era in the region<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The <\/span>United States<\/a> thought there was not a country<\/strong> that could respond with its military until Iran<\/a>\u2019s missile strikes<\/strong> targeted its bases.<\/p>\n

Iran<\/a>\u2019s strikes<\/strong> have brought political consequences that have destroyed the American prestige, which is more than military action.<\/p>\n

Iran<\/a>\u2019s proxy organizations threatening the US\u2019s interests in the region<\/strong> have now further encouraged the fight against the United States<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Iran<\/a>\u2019s strike has destroyed the taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> of \u00abthe invulnerable United States<\/a>\u00bb, which happens to exist in many anti-US organizations in the region<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, all the reasons, such as Iran<\/a>\u2019s strength, brave decisions and its readiness for war, have forced America to remain silent about this attack.<\/p>\n

The targeted killing of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani last week broke an old taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong>: Finally a US president held Iran<\/a> \u00adresponsible for the proxies it uses to kill Americans.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Candidate Trump also promised GOP hawks and the overwhelmingly pro-Israel evangelicals that he\u2019d undo President Barack Obama<\/a>\u2019s catastrophic nuclear deal with Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Of late, brave young Iraqis have taken to the streets<\/strong> to protest against their corrupt rulers and Iranian-backed Shiite militias.<\/p>\n

Since September, more than 500 Iraqis have been killed for opposing the Iranian satrap-state that rules them.<\/p>\n

The departure of US forces would restore the regional dynamics to their natural state, in which Iran<\/a> is a Persian Shiite power surrounded by a sea of Sunni Arabs, more keen for revenge than ever, after the depredations suffered over the last two decades in Iraq<\/a> as well as Syria<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He was focused on his signature foreign policy initiative \u2014 the Iran<\/a> nuclear deal.<\/p>\n

In time, Obama came to see the anti-ISIS campaign as a way to join US and Iranian interests.<\/p>\n

Together they would fight ISIS \u2014 or any Sunni that the Iranians defined as ISIS.<\/p>\n

In effect, US troops were used as a constabulary force to police Iraq<\/a> on behalf of Tehran<\/a>\u2019s new Middle East order, stretching from the Straits of Tiran to the port of Beirut<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Iranians were happy to have American forces stay in Iraq<\/a>, so long as they kept their weapons pointed at Sunnis in open rebellion against the Baghdad<\/a> government<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

When Trump re-imposed sanctions<\/strong> crippling the Iranian economy, Soleimani \u00addirected Iraq<\/a>\u2019s Shiite militias to target US forces and eventually the American \u00adEmbassy; he wanted to break the president\u2019s will.<\/p>\n

In November 2018, 250 mostly Iranian American Jews gathered at the Iranian American Jewish Federation for a first-of-its-kind program<\/strong>: the Taboo Summit.<\/p>\n

The project was an outgrowth of the fifth cohort of the Los Angeles<\/a>-based Iranian Jewish organization 30 Years After\u2019s Maher Fellowship \u2014 a six-month leadership-in-training program<\/strong> developed by and for young-professional Iranian American Jews ages 21-35.<\/p>\n

Persian Jews, said Sam Yebri, co-founder of 30 Years After , are \u00abto some extent tethered to the trauma of our families leaving Iran<\/a>, and the Old World mentality and norms that grow out of that. \u2026 balancing what it means<\/strong> to be an American and maintaining Iranian traditions\u00bb.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When many Persian Jews left Iran<\/a> after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and came to the United States<\/a>, they started over.<\/p>\n

The Maher Fellowship is designed to fill this gap by training young Jewish Iranian American professionals to \u00abtake responsibility over the millennia-old narrative and heritage that they have, that was actively suppressed by the fact that they were immigrants and refugees in America,\u00bb said Tabby Davoodi, 30YA\u2019s first executive director.<\/p>\n

The intention, Youdeem said, was to \u00abstart from our grandparents in Iran<\/a>, our parents\u2019 transition and to our generation, to start telling that story,\u00bb which many young Persian Jews have not heard before.<\/p>\n

\u00ab to some extent tethered to the trauma of our families leaving Iran<\/a>, and the Old World mentality and norms that grow out of that. \u2026 balancing what it means<\/strong> to be an American and maintaining Iranian traditions.\u00bb \u2014 Sam Yebri<\/p>\n

In addition to the Taboo Summit, Maher fellows encounter and connect with experts, thought leaders, politicians and influencers in the Jewish, Iranian and greater American communities, and participate in a fully subsidized trip to the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D,C.<\/p>\n

President Hassan Rouhani urged Iranian lawmakers to \u00abcooperate\u00bb with his government<\/strong> in a speech on Wednesday during the inaugural session of the new parliament following February elections swept by conservatives.<\/p>\n

Iran<\/a> is scheduled to hold a presidential election in spring 2021.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

The signing of an international agreement on Iran<\/a>\u2019s nuclear programme in 2015 had raised hopes<\/strong> for a bright economic future and an opening<\/strong> up of the country<\/strong> to the world after years<\/strong> of isolation.<\/p>\n

But these hopes<\/strong> were dashed before being totally buried in 2018 when US President Donald Trump<\/a> withdrew from the accord and began reimposing sanctions<\/strong> on Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But he said the Iranian nation had stood up against \u00abthe enemy\u00bb and that its resistance had won.<\/p>\n

The president praised his government<\/strong>\u2019s performance in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak as a source of \u00abgreat pride\u00bb, adding that Iran<\/a> was \u00abamong the countries that have succeeded\u00bb.<\/p>\n

Iranian theater director Hossein Parsaee calls Victor Hugo<\/a>‘s classic a \u00abmasterpiece without borders\u00bb but his groundbreaking production of \u00abLes Miserables\u00bb that has hit the stage in Tehran<\/a> has a few unique twists.<\/p>\n

This is, after all, the capital of the Islamic republic, even if the blockbuster show in the luxurious Espinas Hotel feels a world away from the usual stereotypes about Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There is, for instance, always at least one other voice accompanying an actress when she sings — since female solos are taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> — although spotting the second voice can be tricky.<\/p>\n

Read also: Iran<\/a> sees \u2018revival\u2019 of imperiled Lake Urmia<\/a><\/p>\n

Foreign-made TV, film and cartoon versions of \u00abLes Miserables\u00bb — a French 19th-century epic on sociopolitical tumult, crime and punishment — have been frequently shown in Iran<\/a>, where the book has also been translated.<\/p>\n

The new production is being hailed as the most spectacular play yet staged in Iran<\/a>, and arrives at a topical moment with the ongoing \u00abyellow vest\u00bb protests<\/strong> in France<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The play has come at a volatile moment in Iran<\/a>, when anger at economic inequality and corruption dominates political debate.<\/p>\n

Tickets, priced between 500,000 and 1.85 million rials , are beyond the means<\/strong> of most Iranians.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

‘No taboos<\/span><\/strong> broken’<\/p>\n

Much of the show seems to run against Iranian taboos<\/span><\/strong>, not least the mixed dancing and drinking in brothels and inns.<\/p>\n

No taboos<\/span><\/strong> were broken\u00bb.<\/p>\n

\u00abI was depressed for days<\/strong>, thinking why can’t we do this? I vowed to myself that I would one day make a musical in Iran<\/a>\u00bb.<\/p>\n

\u00abI’ve opened the door on musicals in Iran<\/a>, and now, like a relay race, others must advance it to a point that there won’t be any difference between Iran<\/a> and Broadway\u00bb.<\/p>\n

Mr Nasr said the most important thing right now about talks on Afghanistan<\/a> is the breaking<\/strong> of the taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This is significant that the US has broken the taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> \u2014 now the talks are on the table.<\/p>\n

There are some positive signs: the taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> is broken, Pakistan<\/a> and the US are on the same side, and Iran<\/a>, Russia<\/a> and China<\/a> will also like the US to leave.<\/p>\n

Iran<\/a>, Russia<\/a> and Hezbollah<\/a> will not accept that.<\/p>\n

On the subject of economy in the region<\/strong> vis-\u00e0-vis China<\/a>, Mr Nasr said the Chinese are interested in ways Europeans are trying find ways around sanctions<\/strong> on Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It wants to do trade with Saudi Arabia<\/a> and Iran<\/a>, but doesn\u2019t want to even help bridge the gap between them.<\/p>\n

Although weightlifting<\/strong> has always been one of Iran<\/a>\u2019s medal-winning fields in the Olympic Games and Asian Games, almost all Iranians consider this as a male-dominated sport.<\/p>\n

But now the taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> is being broken.<\/p>\n

With the emphasis of the International Weightlifting Federation<\/a> and the Iranian federation\u2019s consultation with the Ministry of Sports, women<\/strong>\u2019s weightlifting<\/strong> was officially started in Iran<\/a>, and finally a number of Iranian women<\/strong> participated in the 2019 Asian Women\u2019s Championship for the first time.<\/p>\n

Poupak Bastami, 27, was the first Iranian female weightlifter who competed in 2019 Asian Women\u2019s Championship in China<\/a> while wearing hijab<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Perhaps setting a total record of 143kg is a good one, but everyone is hoping Iranian female weightlifters would make more significant progress in the future and even win a medal.<\/p>\n

Q: The presence of Iranian women<\/strong> with hijab<\/strong> has attracted the attention of many media and weightlifting<\/strong> officials.<\/p>\n

Iranian activists have called the early release of Vida Movahedi a \u00abhuge victory\u00bb for women<\/strong> in the Islamic Republic after the protester was arrested in March for her opposition to compulsory hijab<\/strong> laws<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Omid Memarian<\/a>, Deputy Director at the Center for Human Rights in Iran<\/a>, told Newsweek that Movahedi, like the African American civil rights figure Rosa Parks<\/a>, had reset the expectation for what was acceptable in Iran<\/a> with her protest.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00abWhat she did was enormous, in any movement the first one who stands up, like Rosa Parks<\/a>, breaks a huge taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The image of Movahedi brandishing a white hijab<\/strong> from a stick during street protests<\/strong> that rocked Iran<\/a> at the end of 2017 into the beginning of 2018 became a rallying call on social media for other women<\/strong> to protest mandatory dress laws<\/strong> in the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n

Memarian said, like Parks who sparked the Montgomery bus boycott by refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger in 1955, Movahedi had redefined debate in Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Movahedi was initially arrested during protests<\/strong> across Iran<\/a> in December 2018, when she removed her headscarf on Tehran<\/a>‘s Revolution Street.<\/p>\n

A growing number of women<\/strong> in Iran<\/a> are protesting against the mandatory hijab<\/strong> by waving their headscarves on the streets<\/strong> of Tehran<\/a>. #WhiteWednesdays #GirlsOfRevolutionSt \u2014 IranHumanRights.org January 29, 2018<\/p>\n

She was later arrested in October 2018 while standing on a dome in the middle of Revolution Square in the Iranian capital waving her hijab<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Her early release came after intense public pressure was brought to bear on the Iranian authorities.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

While activists welcome her release, the allowances made for Movahedi buck the trend as the Iranian regime, buckling under the pressure of U.S. sanctions<\/strong>, cracks down on dissent.<\/p>\n

Compulsory hijab<\/strong> protesters Yasaman Aryani and her mother Monireh Arabshahi remain in detention for their activism, while at least 32 women<\/strong> have been arrested in Iran<\/a> since 2018.<\/p>\n

Four women<\/strong> including Movahedi in total have been prosecuted for protesting Iran<\/a>‘s hijab<\/strong> law since last year.<\/p>\n

Under Iran<\/a>‘s legal system, women<\/strong> found not to be wearing an Islamic hijab<\/strong> in public places face a sentence of between ten days<\/strong> to two months’ imprisonment or a fine.<\/p>\n

The US has abrogated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran<\/a>, which would have prevented Iran<\/a> from acquiring nuclear weapons<\/strong> for at least 10-15 years<\/strong>; begun withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty ; and, as part of a massive nuclear force modernization program<\/strong>, restarted production of low-yield nuclear warheads for submarine-launched ballistic missiles .<\/p>\n

Iran<\/a> is the foremost example, as its nuclear weapon ambitions are linked in part to creating a credible deterrent against the regional nuclear capabilities of the US and Israel.<\/p>\n

The JCPOA was intended precisely to freeze Iran<\/a>\u2019s program<\/strong>, and the torturous negotiations to that end were, in degree of difficulty, second only to those with North Korea<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Currently, Iran<\/a> continues to uphold the essential obligations covered under the JCPOA, but US withdrawal has given it cover to resume its nuclear program<\/strong>, notably uranium enrichment, which it has threatened to do by July 2019 after announcing recently that it was suspending compliance with other provisions of the agreement.<\/p>\n

The closer Iran<\/a> gets to a workable nuclear device, the more its case will resemble that of the North Korean nuclear negotiations.<\/p>\n

Of the many reasons to be concerned about Iranian proliferation, one of the gravest is that Tehran<\/a>\u2019s nuclear ambitions provide incentives to other regional states to acquire nuclear weapons<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For Saudi Arabia<\/a>, this is no mere speculation: the government<\/strong> has publicly stated that Iranian acquisition of nuclear bombs would, \u00abwithout a doubt,\u00bb cause Riyadh<\/a> to develop its own nuclear deterrent.<\/p>\n

As for Turkey and Egypt<\/a>, they represent a lower proliferation threat, but, given the regional balance-of-power dynamics attendant to a nuclear Iran<\/a> and Saudi Arabia<\/a>, Ankara<\/a> and Cairo<\/a> would closely examine going nuclear.<\/p>\n

North Korea<\/a> as a nuclear problem case goes beyond the fact that it possesses nuclear weapons<\/strong>, but rather how it plans to use them; its strategy, speaks to an important consideration about the international community\u2019s current problem with nuclear nonproliferation, arms control and the taboo<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> on nuclear use.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the US believes the trade-offs are worth it\u2014that the erosion of the institutional and balance-of-power bulwarks against nuclear proliferation by more states is outweighed by the perceived value of punishing Iran<\/a> and fielding modernized US nuclear forces against China<\/a> or Russia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The text of this article was generated by the Breaking The Silence<\/a> system that collected 9<\/strong> news articles posted on the web from January 2019 to September 2020 and clustered for the taboo subjects related to Iran<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Iran\u2019s missile attack after the US assassination targeting Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, and Hashd Shaabi Commander al-Muhandis in Baghdad has opened a new era in the region. The United States thought there was not a country that could respond with its military until Iran\u2019s missile strikes targeted its bases. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":400,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[116,163,149,1263,115],"tags":[164,603,456,1009,793,1062,1066,172,452,338,451,120,169,1069,1068,450,180,1067,1065,425,1060,1061,1064,1063,59,1059,92,501],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=504"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1353,"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504\/revisions\/1353"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amaliafoka.com\/breaking-the-silence\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}