Trita Parsi talks about President Trump’s efforts to use sanctions to pressure the Iranian people into overthrowing their government. Parsi and Scott believes this strategy is futile, likening it to the possibility of Americans overthrowing our entire system of republican democracy out of frustration with a particular president. Trump initially boasted about how well his oil sanctions were working, but the Iranian economy quickly rallied, partly due to waivers allowing 11 countries to keep buying Iranian oil. Parsi worries that these sanctions could be a tepid attempt at “diplomacy” (not actually what sanctions are), which those who favor war with Iran can then point to as evidence of the need for armed conflict.

Discussed on the show:

• “Trump’s international anti-Iran coalition looks like it’s falling apart. He doesn’t have a back-up plan.” (NBC)
• Jamal Khashoggi
• Maryam Rajavi
• “NBC Report: Israel and the MEK Responsible for Deaths of Iranian Nuclear Scientists” (American Conservative)
• Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
• Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

Trita Parsi is the president of the National Iranian American Council and the author of Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy. Parsi is the recipient of the 2010 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Follow him on Twitter @tparsi.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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