Originally appeared at Zero Hedge
President Donald Trump offered some of his most bellicose rhetoric yet about Iran on Tuesday when he said Iran would have “bigger problems than they have ever had before” if the country’s leadership dared to restart its nuclear program following a US pull-out of the JCPOA (otherwise known as the Iran deal), per the Times of Israel.
And today, a top Iranian general hit back at Trump with an aggressive threat to sink US Navy ships, while warning that the US would find itself in a “catastrophic situation” if it withdraws from the deal and reimposes economic sanctions.
“The actual information that the Americans have about us is much less than what they think they have. When will they figure this out? When it is too late,” the Revolutionary Guard Corps’s navy commander, Admiral Ali Fadavim, told Iranian television on Saturday.
“They will definitely figure it out when their ships are sunk, or when they find themselves in a catastrophic situation,” Fadavi threatened in an interview with IRINN TV, according to a translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute.
On Wednesday, a non-proliferation envoy confirmed that the US isn’t seeking to renegotiate the JCPOA. Instead, the White House would like to pursue a separate agreement like the one French President Emmanuel Macron proposed during a press conference with Trump. And apparently, Macron’s proposal took his European partners by surprise.
Admiral Fadavim’s remarks followed a similarly stern warning from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
“I am telling those in the White House that if they do not live up to their commitments, the Iranian government will react firmly,” Rouhani said.
“If anyone betrays the deal, they should know that they would face severe consequences,” he added.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also reiterated over the weekend his warning that Tehran was ready to swiftly resume uranium enrichment if the US ditches the accord.
Meanwhile, Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned that Iran would consider withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty if the US reimposes sanctions.
Of course, by leaving both the Iran deal and the NPT, Iran would only lend credence to its adversaries’ claims that the Islamic Republic is seeking to build a nuclear weapon – an accusation Iran has long denied. The White House has set a self-imposed deadline of May 12 for deciding whether to pull out of the deal.
So…., if Trumps withdraws from the deal does that then mean that Russia is now free to sell any military hardware it wants to Iran? Including SU-30’s and S-400’s?
They have already delivered the S-300 systems.
Yeah, but the reasoning for that was that the deal had been reached before sanctions had been imposed, so after the nuclear deal Russia was now free to deliver. But new arms deals would have be subject to international agreements, according to the nuclear deal agreement. Which the US would then of course veto. But if the US walks away from the arms deals that part of the agreement would then no longer matter.
Whay is the connection between a s300 delivery (a non-nuclear AA-weapon) and the so called “nuclear deal” ? What “international” agreements are necessary if one country (Russia) wants to sell a conventional weapon system to another country (Iran) ?
Because apparently when UN sanctions were imposed prior to the nuclear deal Russia could no longer deliver those missiles. After sanctions were lifted with the deal they could. But as part of the deal for a number of years any impeding arms sales to Iran are subject to UN approval, or approval of the deal signatories. And as a signatory the US could then veto such a deal. But if the US walks away it the old UN sanctions cannot just be re-imposed. Iran after all did not break the deal. Therefore, methinks Russia would now be free to sell stuff to Iran again.
That is if what I read on SF last year was correct of course. Satisfied?
You give a very good explanation of how this deal works. Let me give my take on what I think will happen if America beaks the agreement. If America repudiates they agreement they will still insist on being able to veto any arms sales on the basis that it was part of the agreement which they no longer abide by. I know this sounds crazy but I am not saying as some sort of joke, but because that is exactly how their minds work.
And russians would just ignore them…
Do you mean ignore the Americans? One might hope this would be the case but I am not certain. People always seem to look at this from one direction. There is another direction and that is to ask how good an partners is Iran to Russia. My answer would not please many people but I would say probably not very good. Even worse I think it possible that if the USA had some change of heart towards Iran and stated to be accommodating ( and such a thing is more possible than you might think) then Iran would turn on Russia if that was the price to be paid. I actually think the same would be true of Syria. I know most on this site would not entertain such a possibility but America can reverse its foreign policy and interchange friend and foe.
Only if muricans could make Iran an ally of KSA and Israel…
Meaning, only when Israel make Iran one of its pupets…
That is wishful thinking. The reason why Russia can be an eternal partner to Iran is a Geo Political reason – not some fanciful wish. The Politics of Russia and Iran are both Leftist (Iran more so than Russia), the US is a Globalist with a hegemon mindset that believes in its exceptionality – so it is there to exploit and serve its own interests, while Russia and Iran have mutual interests since they live in the same region. Russia’s politics under Putin is sane and accomodating instead of arrogant and irrational. As long as the US is in the Middle East, there will never be peace and the Palestinians will suffer with no end in sight. The US must be made to leave alongwith her boss, Israel, only then will there be long a waited peace and stability.
I probably did not make my original point very clear. I shall not labour the issue but what I was attempting to point out was not the fickleness of possible American foreign policy but the shallowness of Iranian and Syrian commitment to Russia.
To put it bluntly it seems a lot of nations want Russia to fight for them but would abandon Russia in a heart beat if the Americans offered them a deal. I am not saying that the Americans will do this, rather I was saying something about Russia’s allies .
Always the same question : why the fuck do you make deals with USA ???? Thus, every country should be able to build their own weapons even nuclear weapons. Why would USA be the moral gardian ? Americans are only terrorists. They have no moral whatsoever. So, why the fuck still talking with terrorists ?
Not a good call as it gives the degenerates in Washington an excuse to create more chaos. Without this rhetoric Iran has the moral high ground in terms of having followed the terms of the agreement.
I agree, the Iranian sounded as stupid, infantile and war mongering as the Yanks; I think they have lost a great deal of respect and as you say the moral high ground with that, especially after the MSM are finished embellishing it.
There is little comfort in having the luxury of looking down on ones defeat from the moral high ground.
I think it was a very bad idea to stoop down to the level the US. Iran has so far been the rational side, simply complying with the rules, as the IAEA reports has repedeatly shown. This will be nothing more than a way the US can justify doing something very stupid. Iran should be silent, and let the US dig their own grave.
This is a nothing burger, that any US military officer will tell you is a foregone conclusion. That being that if the US defaults on it’s agreement obligations and resumes belligerence against Iran for the evil Jew baby rapers. That it risks having it’s ships sunk in the Persian Gulf.
From Google Maps:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f9d49dae1500a71d4b0d5fe1404c66420eb33594542d3c04cc51b071383f170b.png
Why should the Iranians be subjected to separate clauses? For what reasons? Their missile systems are the target of these so-called clauses. This has nothing to do with the nuke deal, so now they are calling it a separate clause. In reality, this will be an ‘agreement’ at the behest of the terror state and if refused, US/EU will instigate sanctions once again…but they won’t break the nuke deal. When someone is trying to rape you, does it matter if it is from the front or the rear? This so-called clause merely reflects Israels paranoia of not being top dog and being able to impose their will anywhere, anytime, against anyone. Irans statements about sinking the US ships does not help, but it does clarify Irans options if provoked…and the US gets to reflect on the consequences. Iran must also realize that the US/west can and will use their statements against them, especially should there be a ‘terrorist attack’ on a US ship and it is sunk. Iranian statements will be their ‘proof’ of Iranian guilt.
The Jews don’t care if Tel Aviv and their airfields and other military bases get their anti missile defense systems overrun and leveled with tactical nukes or barrages of conventional HE missiles of comparable destructive throw weight. The end result is basically the same. And Iran is evidently at that stage now with their conventional missile capability according to some reports. Which leaves the evil baby rapers with one option on their own, which is a nuclear first strike, and confirmation about their nuclear capabilities and the regional threat that it poses. Which will take their malevolence and the condemnation of it and opposition to it to a whole new level.
Naturally they’l try to get the goys to do their dirty work for them and kill each other rather than killing them. Which is what the Trump Jew marionette dance that we’re watching now is all about. Killing the Iran deal and plunging the middle east into further turbulence in compliance with the Yinon plan of perpetual regional war and destabilization to insure Israel’s toxic survival at the expense of the Arab world:
“Oded Yinon an Israeli journalist formerly attached to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, published a document titled ‘A Strategy for Israel in the Nineteen Eighties.’This Israeli commentator suggested that for Israel to maintain its regional superiority, it must fragment its surrounding Arab states into smaller units. The document, later labelled as ‘Yinon Plan’, implied that Arabs and Muslims killing each other in endless sectarian wars was, in effect, Israel’s insurance policy.”
– The Jewish Plan For The Middle East and Beyond –
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/the-jewish-plan-for-the-middle-east-and-beyond.html
The Iranians took a big chance when they agreed to this deal. I can understand why they did it. It looks like the gamble failed. There comes a point when ‘ not one step back’ becomes the only possible choice. That is unless you seek total capitulation.
It bought them time, now they are far stronger than they were in 2014.
Be nice if they’d do something more than talk.
jokeman
Israel is seeing her final days – Did you get your wife a Burkha yet?, or better still, I hear Polish Ghetto rat houses are going for cheap, better get yourself one before the prices escalate. You’ll feel right at home then.
bs
Go Iran go; Take out the Universal Sadistic Aggressors!! Bloody International Looters/criminals and hegemonic purveyors.
Iran should regard a scrapping of the deal as a sign of an imminent existential attack by US-NATO and withdraw from the deal completely as well as the NPT, detonate a Nuke test and declare itself a nuclear power in Self Defense fearing this imminent attack. If it doesn’t do this, immediately, further sanctions will be a 100% coming and weaken iran to an extent that in a few years, they will be forced to negotiate on their knees….OR, will be attacked in this weakened state, either way, war is coming, so why not bring it on their terms. Attack Israel, Saudi and destroy US bases in the Region. and get it over and done with.