In light of yesterday's post on Gaza, this time the United States is directly precipitating a humanitarian issue in Iran. (Even if we include mismanagement on Tehran's part as being a factor, the US contribution to the problem is logically and morally primary.) The situation in this case is not to the degree we are seeing in Gaza, but is engineered human hardship nevertheless. Owing to the strenuous sanctions regime overseen by the US Treasury Department, there now exists a drug shortage effecting as many as six million Iranians. Medicine and medical supplies do not fall under the terms of the sanctions, but payment methods and channels have become obstructed.
The context, of course, is Iran's nuclear program, which Washington, the European Union, Israel, and others are concerned (to varying degrees) is geared toward development of nuclear weapons. There is neither direct nor indirect evidence that Iran is engaged in a weapons program; they are enriching uranium at low levels - 3 and 20 percent - whereas weapons-grade levels require upwards of 90 percent, a very big difference. It is always worth recalling that Iran has a legal right to a nuclear program for peaceful domestic purposes; and if the leadership in Tehran has even abstractly pondered the notion of a nuclear weapon (a safe bet), entrance into the nuclear club as a means of fortifying itself from US-led regime change was surely included in the contemplation.
In reality, the Iran issue is a storm in a teacup. Iran basically keeps to itself, though naturally has regional interests and is always seeking to increase its clout in the Middle East via Hamas, Hizballah, Syria, Iraq, and so on. What Tehran has to show for its efforts is scant at best. Moreover, this limited posturing is difficult to get excited about when compared to US meddling and intervention - a country that is located 6,000 miles from the area in question.
The game is a political one. The defense establishments in the United States and Israel do not in any way buy the rhetoric intended for public consumption: that Iran intends to unleash nuclear warheads toward Israel. Washington has been irritated with Iran since 1979 when it ceased cooperating with Washington as a client. And Israel's real fear is that if Iran acquires nuclear weapons, Tehran's new prestige will diminish Tel Aviv's in the eyes of the White House - present and future. And in this game, six million innocent people are hoping their prescription gets filled.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20923511
See also:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/03/world/middleeast/iran-sanctions-take-toll-on-medical-imports.html
