By David Siddhartha Patel
Oct. 21, 2020
Oct. 21, 2020
In the run-up to the presidential election, (click here) BrandeisNOW asked faculty to provide analysis and insight into some of the most pressing issues facing the country. This article is part of the series.
Among the many questions surrounding the 2020 U.S. election for the Middle East, one looms largest: How will the result of the U.S. elections affect the standoff with Iran?
This impasse affects U.S. policy throughout the region, including American support for the disastrous Saudi-led war in Yemen; demands placed on the weak Iraqi government to confront militias; and willingness to engage in reconstruction in Syria and Lebanon.
Uncertainty about the willingness and ability of the U.S. to check growing Iranian regional influence is bringing together countries threatened by Iran, such as Israel and the UAE, and possibly paving the way for a long-term partnership between China and Iran.
A military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran remains possible, and it is far from clear what direction the U.S.-Iranian relationship will go under either Trump or Biden.
President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the three-year-old Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and unilaterally imposed a variety of sanctions on Iran. This so-called “maximum pressure campaign” is meant to increase leverage and force Iran to return to the bargaining table, where a “better deal” that both constrains Iran’s nuclear program and addresses its other “malign activities” can be reached. These other activities include Iran’s ballistic missile program, threats against Israel and other U.S. allies, and its support for militias in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria....
Iran and Russia continue to be dedicated allies. This entry looks unofficial. The USA is kidding itself if it believes it has good standing at the UN Security Council after assassinating Iranian generals.
I think the site is more or less an enthusiast of the US Navy. (click here) The information should be validated.
October 21, 2020
By H. I. Sutton
Last week, (click here) the Iranian-flagged oil tanker Samah entered the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal. After a few miles, the 900-foot-long ship stopped reporting its position and destination. Evidence suggests the ship sailed to Syria, escorted by two Russian Navy ships, including a destroyer.
Russia’s role in protecting the shipment may change the dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean. In the past, Iranian tankers sailing to Syria have been intercepted by the U.K. Royal Navy. The Russian Navy escort could be viewed as a precautionary step, raising the political and military risks of any intervention by the Royal Navy or others.
Last July, an Iranian tanker destined for Syria, Adrian Darya-1, was seized by U.K. Royal Marines off Gibraltar. The British accused Iran of supplying Syria with oil in contravention of European Union sanctions. Iran quickly seized a British-flagged tanker in a likely retaliatory move. Eventually, in September, Adrian Darya-1 was released by a local court with the assurance that it would not deliver its oil to Syria – but days later, it transshipped its oil in Syrian waters....
