Newly minted 58-year-old Secretary of State Anthony [Tony] Blinken has his work cut out for him dealing with the Islamic Republic of Iran, only recently pasting facsiimile of Trump’s face on the Ayatollah’s Website targeting him for revenge. Blinken knows that whatever political games were played by Biden campaign over the last year, setting Trump at odds politically with Democrat policy, any threat to an American past president must be taken seriously. President Joe Biden, 78, talked during the campaign of rejoining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] AKA “The Iranian Nuke Deal,” something prohibitive when Iran’s 81-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatens Trump’s life. Whether or not Biden or Blinken agree with Trump’s foreign policy, they cannot conduct business as usual with Iran while they threaten an American president.
Appearing on Khameni’s Twitter feed was a picture of a golfer in Trump’s image targeted for revenge after the Jan. 3, 2020 drone attack that killed 62-year-old al-Quds Commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani and 62-year-old Iraq’s Hezbollah chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandris. Blinker, who now heads U.S. State Department, told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee Jan. 19 that he understood the threat Iran poses to Mideast and U.S. national security. Despite the hyperbole of a presidential campaign, Blinken said he understood Iran was the chief sponsor of state-sponsored Mideast terrorism, a threat to regional stability. Biden said returning the JCPOA would be based on Iran complying with terms to the agreement before the U.S. would consider rejoining. Blinken was told by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that Iran must stop its proxy war against Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Since Soleimani’s death, Khamenei and his puppet President Hassan Rouhani have been calling for revenge against 74-year-old former President Donald Trump. Blinken has a real problem reconciling with Iran while they’re threatening to kill a U.S. president and at war with Saudi Arabia and Israel. “Both the murders and those who ordered it should know that revenge may come at any time,” said Khaemeni in December 2020. Blinken knows that Trump cancelled the JCPOA May 8, 2018 to stop Iran’s proxy attacks on Saudi Arabia and Israel. Whatever compliance the JCPOA offered in terms of Iran’s secret uranium enrichment program, lessening the breakout time to an A-bobm, it was offset by Iran’s proxy wars against Saudi Arabia and Israel. There’s no pretending by Blinken that if Iran got its hands on a nuclear weapons, it’s first target would be Israel or maybe Saudi Arabia.
Khamenei’s Twitter account was suspended for making threats against former President Trump. “The aim [of the tweet] was to remind the gambler [Trump] that leaving office does not mean he will be safe and the assassination of our martyr Soleimani will be forgotten,” tweeted Khamenei before his account was suspended. Trump’s Twitter account was permanently suspended Jan. 8, citing the Jan. 6 Capitol riots where and angry mob stormed the Capitol and defaced government property. Unlike Khamenei that issues a “Fatwa,” an Iranian religious order to be carried out by the Islamic Republic’s faithful. Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei issues a Fatwa death threat against “Satanic Verses” author Salman Rushdie Feb. 14, 1989. Khamenei’s statement against Trump amounts to the same thing, prompting Bliken to operated cautiously with Iran.
Threatening to kill an American president prevents the U.S. from entering into any deal with Iran, knowing its could be actively using its spy network to set Trump up at any possible time. “The intention of the tweet seems to be keeping alive the specter of revenge, which perhaps by itself is a kind of revenge,” said an unnamed security analyst familiar with Iran. Twitter terminated the @khamenei site account but admitted that the site was probably fake. Khamenei’s Twitter account @Khamenei-fa was not taken down by Twitter, suggesting that Iranian officials most likely used another account to post the facsimile of Trump and the death threat. Whatever’s happening, it’s clear that Iran’s Supreme Leader continues to threaten the U.S. and its allies, posing problems for Blinken allowing snap-back provisions to re-engage with Iran. Iran has shown no willingness to allow unfettered access to its nuclear sites.
Whether or not the death threats against former President Trump are real, Biden and Blinkem must look at the new reality of Iran’s proxy wars in Saudi Arabia and Israel, both preventing any immediate return to the JCPOA. Biden must have clear verification from the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] that Iran is in full compliance with its uranium enrichment activities. Khamenei signaled Iran would enrich uranium at what ever level it wanted after Trump pulled out of the JCPOA in 2018. Before Biden and Blinken can trust anything Iran promises, the IAEA must have access to Iran’s secret military uranium enrichment sites. “I hope the world can see how they [Iranian officials] can use social media to promote violence,” said U.S.-based activist Massih Alinead. Biden and Blinken have much work to do before re-entering the JCPOA
