US new bans on Iran to torpedo nuclear deal: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed Kaveh Afrasiabi, an author and political scientist in Boston, about the US Department of the Treasury imposing financial sanctions on two more Iranian companies for allegedly supporting Iran’s ballistic missile program.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: How do you react now that these sanctions have been put in place?

Afrasiabi: Well this is the second time in three months that the US has imposed sanctions over Iran’s missile test and given the fact that the US complained to the UN Security Council and was rebuffed, it is a clear indication that the US’s action lacks legal justification and it is really a stab at the nuclear agreement and definitely weakens it even though there is no direct link between the two as the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman just said.

Nevertheless, the fact of the matter is that such sanctions particularly those that re-impose sanctions on companies that were taken off the list after the nuclear agreement, basically torpedo the nuclear agreement and weaken it and given Iran’s complaint that some of the US’s obligations under the agreement have not been fulfilled yet, this gives additional fuel for fire and it is a step in the wrong direction.  

Press TV: The US says that Iran acted provocatively by testing these ballistic missiles but of course Iran says it has the right to defend itself and to increase its defenses. Where do you stand on that?

Afrasiabi: Well I wish I would see a similar statement by the US vis-à-vis the Saudis who recently paraded the long-range Chinese made missiles capable of potentially nuclear warheads, etc.

So there is a regional reality that needs to be taken into consideration and American perspective is very Americocentric. They take everything with respect to themselves whereas what Iran does is germane to its own national security concerns as well as fears and the missiles play a very important role for Iran’s conventional defense and tests are an important part of it to improve the accuracy and the range of these missiles and deter potential threats against Iran and the world community I believe realizes that and the US needs to jump on the bandwagon.  

Press TV: And so are we about to see things go down this path? You said that this is of course a step in the wrong direction. Do you think that there will be more such steps?

Afrasiabi: Well unfortunately we know that some members of the US Congress are working really hard to present additional sanctions on Iran and such unilateral steps by the Executive Branch, the White House, will embolden those people in the US Congress to take further action and as a result we can safely bet that there will be further anti-Iran sanctions in the approximate future and these will in turn reflect negatively on the nuclear deal and so forth, not mentioning the fact that all the Republican candidates for presidency in the US are on record opposing the nuclear deal, pledging to scrap it once in the White House and this creates a wedge between [the] US and its European partners who have taken a very different position in defense of the nuclear agreement.

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