Ilhan Omar buckles under AIPAC pressure, signs Iran arms embargo extension letter

Empowering Weak & Oppressed

Crescent International

Ramadan 13, 1441 2020-05-06

Daily News Analysis

by Crescent International

Ilhan Omar, another two-faced American politician!

Muslims that had reposed so much faith in Rep. Ilhan Omar and her soaring rhetoric, especially about the “Benjamins”, would be deeply disappointed.

The first-time Democratic Congresswoman from Minnesota has turned out to be, well, just another politician.

She signed onto a letter pushed by the America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a non-registered pro-Israel lobby group, calling for extension of the UN arms embargo against Iran.

If she believes this will end or ease Zionist pressure on her, she knows nothing about politics or the way the Zionists operate.

The issue revolves around the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal with Iran (called JCPOA) under which the arms embargo against Iran will automatically ends in October.

The Trump regime, however, is pushing to extend it despite the fact that it unilaterally pulled out of the deal in 2018.

It is not part of the deal but feels it can still use the deals provisions against Iran.

The AIPAC-backed letter, circulated in the US House of Representatives is spearheaded by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel, (D-NY), and top Republican Mike McCaul, (R-Texas).

It has garnered 391 signatures—nothing surprising there—including that of Ms. Omar.

That, however, is a real surprise. Or, should it be?

Three other members of what has come to be called the “Squad”—Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts)—did not sign the letter.

It calls on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to “extend these provisions in order to prevent Iran from buying and selling weapons.”

Trump and his evangelical Christian and former spy chief Pompeo don’t need any convincing.

Both have exhibited a pathological hatred of Iran and committed war crimes against the country including the assassination of its top commander, General Qassem Solaimani on January 3 at Baghdad Airport.

Similarly, the Trump regime has intensified sanctions against Iran despite the pandemic that has taken a heavy toll of human life.

What justification did Ms. Omar offer for signing the AIPAC-backed letter?

“Congresswoman Omar has consistently, for a long time, supported arms embargos against human rights abusers,” her office told Al-Monitor.

“However, that is not to say that she supports Pompeo’s tactics or that her position on sanctions has changed, or that she is not in support of the [nuclear deal]. It was just a narrow ask that we couldn’t find anything wrong with.”

Ramzy Baroud, editor of The Palestine Chronicle, was so appalled by Ms. Omar excuses that he said:

“No explanation by Omar’s office could possibly suffice, or morally justify this shameful decision.”

He went on: “Omar’s deserved credibility was predicated on her ability to introduce morality and common sense to American politics and to present a new political discourse on foreign policy with courage and articulation.”

The matter, however, has to be addressed in the UN Security Council where the US is not the sole decision-maker despite enjoying support of Nato allies Britain and France.

Both Russia and China, also suffering from US sanctions, are not likely to go along with American unilateralism.

Even the Europeans are not on board with Trump’s bullying tactics.

One European diplomat quoted by Reuters said: “It’s very difficult to present yourself as a compliance watcher of a resolution you decided to pull out of. Either you’re in or either you’re out.”

Iran has made clear that any snapback of UNSC sanctions in violation of the JCPOA will mean not only the end of the nuclear deal but Tehran would also pull out of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

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