The United States has doubled down on its unilateral punitive measures against Iran this week, much to the disapproval of both the remaining UN parties in the 2015 JCPOA deal and, of course, Iran itself. This ardent call from Washington for the reimposition of sanctions against Iran, most recently seen in President Donald Trump’s executive order on Monday, has been met with a resounding dismissal from Tehran. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani strongly rebuked the “Bully” United States for its isolated sanctions against Iran, vowing a “decisive response” in retaliation. According to Rouhani, these recent attempts from the United States to reimpose sanctions signify a great diplomatic failure, as the global community refuses to recognize the actions as internationally legal or justified. In addition, Iran’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Zarif condemned the United States as an “irresponsible actor”, stressing that it is necessary for the United States to put an end to their “policy of pressure” and restore the diplomatic progress made under President Barack Obama in the 2015 JCPOA deal.
From the Iranian perspective, these escalations and sanctions from the U.S. have had a real and tangible impact on their economic health. This past week, the Iranian currency suffered a record low point, with rials valued at 273,000 to the U.S. dollar. Despite the dearth of support from the global community, especially from the five nations still involved in the JCPOA, the “snapback” sanctions from the U.S. cannot merely be dismissed as illegal and illegitimate; indeed, it seems that a retaliation from Iran is the next logical step in the diplomatic power game. Even though the U.S. attempts to reimpose sanctions have been shown to carry serious economic heft, the fact remains that Iran is still in an advantageous position as far as global support is concerned. With the U.N. General Assembly already underway, the conflict is sure to only intensify in the coming days.