What Next for Iran? The always thoughtful Spengler

President Trump was good to his word, dumping the rotten Iran deal in the toughest possible way. First, he stated in so many words that the United States wanted regime change, not just a revised deal with the mullahs. Second, he warned that any nation assisting Iran’s nuclear program also would face sanctions (it’s not clear what would trigger such sanctions, which is going to worry the Europeans). Third, he showed contempt for European diplomacy by hailing Israel’s acquisition of Iranian nuclear-weapons plans, something that the Europeans insisted had no bearing on the present deal.

You don’t get tougher than that. Ronald Reagan must be opening champagne in heaven.

Now comes the tough part.

Iran’s economy is a catastrophe, as I wrote more than a year ago–despite higher oil prices and despite the lifting of sanctions under the Obama deal. The Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) runs the country the way Al Capone ran Cicero, Illinois, and has left the banking and pension system bankrupt. There are frequent strikes, demonstrations, riots and other expressions of popular disgust at the regime. But the IRGC won’t give up. If the domestic opposition gains power, they’ll be hanged, and they can’t flee the country, because they have no place to go.
— Read on pjmedia.com/spengler/what-next-for-iran/