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Das Atomabkommen war von Anfang an nicht perfekt. Das Bestreben der Trump-regierung, es scheitern zu lassen, könnte allerdings verheerende Folgen haben.
Comment from the English-speaking world
Three years ago, The Guardian welcomed the Iran nuclear deal as a triumph of diplomacy. Though sceptics doubted its value, Iran has complied with its terms — surely a vindication of the patient, painful work invested in it. Yet the agreement has never had a chance to fully mature; and now it is on life support, in the words of one expert. Donald Trump’s visceral hostility to any success attached to Barack Obama’s name, and the hawkishness of those around him, made America’s withdrawal this spring all but inevitable. Now the US administration has reimposed blanket sanctions and will turn up the heat again in November with banking and oil restrictions.
The resistance of the EU and especially the “E3” signatories (Germany, France and the UK) is welcome. The question is whether it can save the deal. No one suggests that it is perfect — but it was the best reachable. Now the circumstances are worse: Iran is a stronger force in the region and the moderate president Hassan Rouhani has lost credibility domestically because the deal barely survives. So few believe that an improved agreement is in sight, and though the US administration denies that its real goal is engineering regime change, both its comments and actions suggest otherwise.
The Iranian regime is guilty of grotesque human rights abuses at home... But sanctions are no way to support the legitimate demands of the Iranian people, who are already struggling. The rial has halved in value since April. The prices of essential goods, including medicines, have shot up. This year has already seen demonstrations unprecedented since the 1979 revolution: spurred by anger over issues ranging from high prices to water shortages. Other protesters — such as the women resisting the compulsory hijab rules — are frustrated at the lack of social and political freedoms, due to the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s utter intransigence . ...
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