Why The Iran Deal Had To Go Forward –
It wasn’t really about the actual deal, it was about opening a new business market. Flocking to Tehran, EU businesses have already cut deals, secured contracts and readied for the blitz while US counterparts hedged their bets waiting for Congress to aye or nay the deal.
A baby’s bottom, the Iran deal is a business bonanza! Iran opens the door to $$$$, and in a stagnant economy, any new market poses the possibility of generating beaucoup profits. The lobbyists could care less about the hostages, the prisoners, the ethics or even the risks, because that’s their game – shoot the moon.
Before the sanctions, France, Germany and the UK were Iran’s biggest trading partners, and by golly, they aim to be again! The French have already lined up a delegation of over 100 firms including automakers, plane makers, oil companies, agriculture companies, banking, pharmaceuticals and construction firms. Italy has already set up a memorandum of understanding for business dealings.
The EU wanted the Iran deal, and by any means possible, they were going to force the hand of the US. It was never about the terms, it was about just getting a deal signed so that businesses could reopen and the flow of money could be reinstated. Only two countries opposed the deal – Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia doesn’t want an economically strong Iran, they want a weak neighbor, one that they can destroy, one that has no power. Had Iran the strength, the Saudi’s would never have been able to annihilate Yemen. Instead of a ‘coalition’, it would have amounted to an aggressive war. A distinction that is ridiculously waived by the EU and the US as the Saudi’s continue to bomb civilians daily. Yemen was closely aligned with Iran. Giving Iran more power could easily disrupt the power plays that riddle the Middle East.
Israel. While Netanyahu lobbied for a more transparent deal, as in don’t have the wolf guard the chicken coop, it was a lost cause. Iran is not a negotiating country and President Rouhani made it quite clear that this is the deal, take it or leave it. But for Israel, it is not just about nuclear, it is about the influx of billions of dollars of revenue and how that will be used to bolster Iran’s military as well. It’s about a country that has adamantly proclaimed its desire to destroy Israel and the stress that threat invokes. Changing the balance, Iran will most likely use it’s new found cash flow to bolster Hamas and Hezbollah, further putting Israel at risk. It is incredibly short sighted to simply focus on nuclear energy when the entire economic balance will change, albeit not too rapidly, but certainly within the next decade.
There were some opposition forces that wanted the US to drop a partial list of sanctions, but the EU had already readied to drop theirs entirely, which would create an imbalance of trade for US businesses and further alienate the US economically. In addition, the mud effect this would have on multi-international businesses could prove a legal nightmare bordering catastrophic.
So while pundants are busily talking about how Iran will use smoke screens and magic tricks to hide nuclear advancement, no one cares, because when weighing business vs security, security looses every time. And once businesses start back up in Iran, the cost of imposing sanctions again at some later date will be met with fire and brimstone.
Of course, from a White House position, this is just another tick mark for the history books lauding President Obama and giving him a written legacy from which he can gain one giant ego in the name of mankind.
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