Remember President Obama’s “red line” on Syria’s use of chemical weapons. It looks like he may be in the process of doing it again. Since the nuclear agreement with Iran was signed, Iran has launched two ballistic missiles in violation of UN Security Council resolutions against such tests. In one case, even a United Nations panel said Iran violated the Security Council resolution.
Senators, including even senators who voted for the nuclear agreement with Iran, have called for the United States to issue new sanctions against Iran because of these tests. Finally, on Wednesday, the Administration notified Congress that it would be imposing new sanctions against Iran because of the violations. They wouldn’t be big, just financial sanctions against a few companies and individuals. But Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that any new sanctions on Iran, whether relating to the nuclear agreement or anything else, would violate the nuclear agreement.
The White House now says Secretary of State Kerry is in contact with Iran’s foreign minister on the matter and, in the words of The Wall Street Journal article, “is considering the most appropriate response to Iran’s provocative actions.” In other words, another red line is going to go missing, along with the United States’ credibility. The next president, whoever he or she is, is going to have a lot of work to do.
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UPDATE (1/18/16 5:45 pm): For an update and an apology, see here.
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