The list of reasons to ditch Biden’s Iran deal grows daily. Today is no exception.
Iran and Russia are working together to evade U.S. sanctions and create a mutually beneficial black market. This would undoubtedly help Putin withstand economic pressure as he continues to wage brutal war in Ukraine.
Yesterday, the Free Beacon reported that Iran and Russia conducted a trade conference in Moscow, hosting 70 Iranian businesses and 300 Russian businesses. An Iranian diplomat said the countries will “witness a leap in their bilateral relations.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. is still trying to wrap up a weak Iran deal, allowing Russia to play a major role in negotiations as Biden talks tough on Ukraine. As Andy McCarthy pointed out in March:
Even as President Biden has condemned Russia’s aggression, his administration has made Putin’s regime its most significant intermediary in the talks with Tehran, a client of Moscow. Not only has Putin’s envoy, Mikhail Ulyanov, been delegated a leading role — because Iran still will not deign to meet with Biden’s Iran-friendly envoy, Robert Malley; the new deal hinges on Russia’s agreement to house the uranium that Iran has been enriching to levels ever closer to weapons grade.
Since then, Russia has gotten a written guarantee from Biden negotiators that the State Department would not sanction any Russian “participation in nuclear projects” with Iran as set out in the deal.
The timing of this Moscow trade conference is no coincidence. As the Biden administration tries to finalize the Iran deal, a deeply sanctioned Russia would benefit from black-market trade with Tehran when and if its own economic sanctions are lifted. The Beacon noted:
Increased trade relations between the rogue nations come as the Biden administration moves to unwind sanctions on Iran as part of a new nuclear deal, which will enable Moscow to use Tehran as a vehicle for its own bid to skirt international pressure.
In an excellent op-ed from the Wall Street Journal yesterday, Mark Dubowitz and Matthew Zweib referenced a previous report on Iran’s multibillion-dollar illicit financial system used to withstand sanctions. They believe Iran could teach Russia how to do the same:
Tehran could teach Moscow how to replicate this illicit financial architecture, or the clerical regime could serve as the Kremlin’s broker, taking a cut of the covert trade it facilitates on Russia’s behalf. The combination of Russian and Iranian expertise in illicit financial activities could produce the world’s most sophisticated and expansive sanctions-evasion network. If Western sanctions lose their bite, the pressure on Moscow to end its invasion of Ukraine and other threats would diminish.
By publicly flaunting a growing economic relationship during ongoing nuclear conversations, both Iran and Russia are sending a clear message to Biden: We’re not afraid of you, AND we can still get what we want.
Biden can’t call Putin a “war criminal,” then turn around and give Iran billions that will not only sponsor terrorism, but help Russia endure sanctions.
Richard Goldberg, senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, tweeted earlier today: “If you oppose Putin, you need to oppose the Iran Deal.”