US sanctions policy against Iran failed dismally

By Stephen Lendman

President Rouhani is right when he says “US maximum pressure” has failed. It failed dismally, mainly because it always fails.

The US imposes much pressure on many countries, countries that do not control, its long-standing US policy, going back before World War Two, but mainly after World War Two, and especially post-9/11, the policy of imposing sanctions and other dirty tricks on nations the US does not control.

Way back I've written about how the US has done it from Cuba once Fidel Castro freed the country from many many years of US-installed fascist dictatorship. It failed in Cuba. Tried hundreds of times, the US tried to topple the Cuban government and failed dismally. It tried to kill Fidel Castro countless numbers of times, never succeeded. He died an old man around age 90, naturally.

The US failed dismally in Cuba. Again, 70 years against Iran, for over 40 years, against Venezuela for over 20 years, against every country it's imposed sanctions on North Korea, Russia, China, Nicaragua. It goes on and on US sanctions war, especially in the post-World War Two era. It never works.

The only real example of sanctions against the country working, only indirectly relates to the US, and that's what was done against, imposed against apartheid South Africa, pre-1990 that got the system to change at least according to the way it defines its laws, but it really never did change. The policy changed rhetorically. It stayed the same. In fact, once Nelson Mandela was released from prison, and then became the president of South Africa. So over the past 30 years. The situation in South Africa, officially apartheid no longer exists, but the persecution of Black people is the same.

And I could remember an article I wrote some time ago that said things were really worse in South Africa, post-apartheid than it was pre-apartheid, but maximum pressure is a failed policy. The only thing it exceeds in accomplishing is immiserating the ordinary people in the countries attacked, makes things much harder for them, makes it harder for countries to import goods they need, medicines, other essential goods. This is the way the sanctions hurt countries, it does nothing to the ruling authorities, it does nothing to change a government, it does nothing to achieve US imperial aims, just causes misery for ordinary people, the US knows it.

Other people in power know whether they Republicans or Democrats, but they keep doing it. I remember a quote by Vladimir Putin fairly recently where he said to the US, I guess he meant post-911, since he's been the Russian President, “the US has imposed sanctions on Russia over 50 times, over 50 times.” What does it accomplish? Nothing. On China, I don't know how many times, accomplished nothing. Again, it's a failed policy. It's also flagrantly illegal.

Sanctions may not be imposed by one nation on any others. That's the prerogative, only of the Security Council, not by individual nations.

So whenever the US does this it breaches the rule of law, but of course, that's longstanding US practice. The rules the US is governed by are its own, not international, constitutional or its own statute laws. It does what it pleases to serve its own interest, regardless of how the law is broken, or the harm is done to the countless numbers of people worldwide, including US people.

Rouhani: Failed sanctions policy against Iran should become history

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says that the wrong and failed policy of imposing sanctions on the country should become a thing of the past.

Stephen Lendman, born in 1934 in Boston, started writing on major world and national issues began in summer 2005. In early 2007, radio hosting followed. Lendman now hosts the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network three times weekly. Distinguished guests are featured. Listen live or archived. Major world and national issues are discussed. Lendman is a 2008 Project Censored winner and 2011 Mexican Journalists Club international journalism award recipient.

He recorded this article for Press TV website.

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