First the crafty: Europe continues to be holding out hope that it could one way or the other resurrect the failed nuclear take care of Iran that relaxed sanctions on Tehran in return for permitting worldwide inspections of its atomic actions. To maintain the door open, European leaders, whose international locations additionally stand to learn from a resumption of commerce with Iran, have taken pains to not offend the regime. By this logic, a failure to precise condolences over Raisi’s demise can be thought-about an pointless provocation.
Leaving apart the continued viability of the nuclear deal at this stage, it’s value recalling the main points of Iran’s malevolent habits, not simply towards its personal folks and neighbors, however towards Europeans.
Whereas Borrell (or a minion) was crafting his condolences tweet, one in all his diplomats, Johan Floderus, is locked up in Tehran’s infamous Evin jail, the place he has spent the previous two years. His crime? Visiting Iran on vacation.
Iran formally accuses the Swede of “corruption on Earth,” a wide-ranging set of prices that features allegedly spying for Israel.
In actuality, he’s merely been taken hostage. Like Russia and different rogue nations, Iran has turned taking Westerners hostage into one thing of a cottage trade. It makes use of the hostages as bargaining chips to both win the discharge of Iranian prisoners within the West or different concessions.
Simply ask Michel, who served as Belgian prime minister earlier than changing into Council president.
