[nradov]

That's true, but on the other hand the CIA today isn't forcing Iran to sponsor terrorist organizations or arrest women for being immodest or keep Islamists in charge. If they want to eliminate the sanctions then the path to doing so is clear and would have tremendous benefits for the Iranian people.

[vkou]

The Saudis are doing all of those things, but we turn a blind eye to that. The Cubans are doing none of those things, but they are still at the top of America's shit list.

Something makes me think that those aren't the reason for why Iran is everyone's favorite whipping boy in the region.

Nationalizing western assets half a century ago probably has something more to do with why they are treated the way they are.

[breppp]

Generally the Saudis aren't that great supporters of terror as they are made out to be, Qatar would be a better example.

The most important difference is that the deranged things the Saudis are doing aren't aimed at the West which makes them useful allies, also their current ruler is enacting reforms while Iran is only going backwards

Regarding nationalizing, Egypt had done that and has successfully jumped ship to the western sphere, it's completely possible. Saudi Aramco used to be American owned, you can nationalize with tact

[vkou]

Egypt has always had one foot in each camp.

The US' treatment of Cuba is the better example. It's doing none of the things the parent poster listed, yet it's still treated by the US as a pariah state. Uncle Sam doesn't care about how you treat women, or whether you have elections, but he deeply cares about you taking some corporation's stuff 70 years ago.

That is the original sin that can never be atoned for.

(For another example of that, see last night's deranged speech about Venezuela 'stealing' America's oil.)

[Paradigma11]

Cuba was an incredible active player for a long time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_interventions_by_Cuba

[breppp]

Cuba and the US were very close to normalizing under Obama IIRC.

What do you think about Vietnamese-US relations?

[vkou]

They are only fine because Vietnam is useful to the US as a regional counterweight to China.

[breppp]

So why Iran won't be fine since the US just wants to remove them off the Chinese sphere and remove a Russian arms supplier?

I don't follow the logic why Iran has no way out

[mrguyorama]

> If they want to eliminate the sanctions then the path to doing so is clear and would have tremendous benefits for the Iranian people.

Didn't... uh, didn't they... try?

And then Trump killed it?

My understanding is that there are allegations they were still pursuing nuclear capability but, we still don't have any actual evidence, and then we bombed them anyway.

[sam_goody]

We bombed them because we had evidence.

No-one normal is suggesting that the Iranians did not have practically weapons-grade fissile material, the only argument was whether we successfully destroyed it or just kicked the can down the road.

Recall that the regime calls us (the U.S) Satan, and openly calls for killing us all - and actually indoctrinates their kids to mass kill us - a result of which is attacks such as the one on the former World Trade Center.

It is really, really hard for an American to grok their worldview because it is so different then ours (and for that matter, it is NOT at all the view of all Arabs, or most Iranians or all Muslims - see the hero Ahmed El Ahmed last week!). But that is just burying your head in the sand - since the indoctrinated are ready and willing to kill US!

Now, some have an attitude, "let's believe them that they are just developing fissile material for energy, and let's even pay them gobs and gobs of money to do that. The fact they wont let us inspect is just a curious fact..." And then they are shocked when the material is really weapons grade. But if a nuclear weapon [a "dirty bomb"] went off in the States - which it 100% will if the Ayatollahs have the ability to make it happen - then IMO being shocked is not really a good enough excuse.

If you live in NY or LA, you should be aware that the regime claims they are going to take you out - at any price to themselves - as soon as they could, no different than they are targeting Jerusalem. The sanctions are an attempt to forestall some really unpleasant scenarios.

And that is when looking at just the regime in Iran. The bigger picture of how and where they invest their oil wealth and their previous American support is even more dangerous for us naive pretty summer boy western cultured folks.

/rant