Analysis by PMOI/MEK
Feb. 3, 2019 – Every crisis and controversy in the ruling theocracy in Iran has a few thick links to other crises of the regime. One of the recent controversies in Iran is the European financial mechanism for Iran that should help the country circumvent U.S. sanctions.
Officially called the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), on paper, it should work like a clearing house were companies can sell goods and services to Iran and buy oil and other goods from Iran without money ever changing hands.
But as Iranian hardliners close to the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader suggest, the issue of SPV is linked with Iran's ballistic missile and regional meddling issues, something that regime president Hassan Rouhani's so-called moderate faction conveniently omits to mention.
But as it turns out, at least some European countries are run by cool heads who understand the dangers of an oil-rich country run by religious zealots seeking to acquire ballistic missile technology and expanding terrorism and sectarianism across the Middle East and the world under the guise of Islam.
Last week, French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters that, "We are ready, if the [ballistic missile] talks don't yield results, to apply sanctions firmly, and they know it."
"Iran's missile capability is not negotiable, and this has been brought to the attention of the French side during the ongoing political dialogue between Iran and France," was the Iranian regime’s immediate response to France, expressed by Bahram Qasemi, Rouhani's spokesperson for the foreign ministry.
Qasemi further threatened Europe and said that, "any new sanctions by European countries would lead to a re-evaluation by Iran of its interactions with those countries," according to state news agency IRNA.
But it seems like the ruling mullahs, embattled by an economic downfall and an increasingly discontent and vocal population, understand very well that they might have overplayed their hand.
On January 29, just four days after the French statements, Ali Shamkhani, Tehran’s secretary of Supreme National Security Council and a close ally of Rouhani, described Iran's so-called defense doctrine and while saying that the regime "has no scientific or executive hurdles to increase the range of military missiles," made a telltale concession.
"Only based on our defense doctrine, [Iran] has no intention of increasing the range of [military] missiles," Shamkhani added.
On the same day, Hassan Firouzabadi, former chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, current member to the Expediancy Discernment Council, and an advisor to Ali Khamenei, revealed the reasons behind the concession and said: "After the [recent] uproar in France, that country's government reopened Iran's missile [program] issue."
Iran's Fars news agency, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), revealed new details about the behind-the-scenes of the SPV and its connection to Iran's missile program and regional policies and wrote: "The European SPV is supposed to cover trade that is not sanctioned by the U.S. and in exchange for Iranian oil and gas give Iran food and medicaments. The important point is that, while this European mechanism isn't supposed to cover big and important companies, or define high value trades or non-sanctioned [sic] goods in its program, the mechanism is implemented in case Iran accepts Europe's path considering missile capabilities and the region, especially in Yemen."
Now, it begs to wonder whether Shamkhani's concessions are the prelude of the Iranian regime getting in line and accepting Europe's conditions.
Iranian hard-liners' evident concern and sense of urgency makes this theory appear more plausible.
"Europe's current SPV is an insulting fata morgana," wrote Fars news agency on January 30.
"It isn't supposed to cover any sanctioned path and is defined for companies and factories with low-quality goods to keep [Europe's] consumer market in Iran. Its main purpose is to sell oil in exchange for food and medicaments and has linked this very charlatanism and fraud to other JCPOAs. The only thing that occurs to one is that Europe's villainy is no less than what Trump and Pompeo have asked for," Fars further rants.
You reap what you sow, wise men say. Unfortunately, human memory is short often times and plays funny games too.
Maybe the ruling mullahs in Iran expected the Iranian people to reap once again the misery of what the ruling elite has sown, while they continue to live in luxury with impunity just like the past four decades.
But this isn't how history works.
