An important first step on Iran

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani gestures as he speaks during a ceremony on Wednesday marking National Day of Space Technology in Tehran. (Reuters)

The Treasury Department placed new sanctions Friday on Iran, the first move by the Trump administration in response to a ballistic missile test that led the White House to announce it was putting Iran “on notice.”

The sanctions were imposed on 25 people and entities involved in helping develop Iran’s ballistic missile program, or assisting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force in supporting groups that the United States considers terrorist, such as Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah militant group. The administration said the sanctions are not a breach of U.S. commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, that was negotiated by Iran and six world powers, including the United States.

Let’s be clear: This is better than nothing. (“The sanctions are the first concrete evidence of the Trump administration’s intention to take a more aggressive and confrontational approach with Iran.”) Unfortunately, sanctions this limited and affecting so few people are of marginal utility.

For now, however, pro-sanctions voices want to be as encouraging as possible. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which was often at war with the Obama administration, issued a complimentary press release. “AIPAC applauds the Trump Administration’s announcement today sanctioning an additional 13 individuals and 12 entities for their support of Iran’s malign activities,” it said. “Iran has stepped up its aggressive behavior over the last year, highlighted by another ballistic missile test this week.” But it stressed that this would not, in and of itself, be enough. “The Trump Administration has made clear that the United States intends to push back against Iran’s unacceptable actions, and these new designations mark an important first step. We also appreciate the bipartisan group of 22 senators who advocated for additional sanctions.”

Likewise, sanctions guru Mark Dubowitz told me, “The designations are a good start but should be followed by broader sanctions that target the key nodes of Iran’s economy and the international companies involved in supporting Tehran’s missile program. Unless the Iranian regime pays a severe price for its malign activities, they are unlikely to stop.”

Here is where Congress can help by moving ahead with broader sanctions legislation. Bipartisan support in the House and Senate exists for sanctions that will hamper Iran’s oil industry and/or entities linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. In the Senate letter that AIPAC referenced, the senators told Trump:

Iranian leaders must feel sufficient pressure to cease deeply destabilizing activities, from sponsoring terrorist groups to continued testing of ballistic missiles.  Full enforcement of existing sanctions and the imposition of additional sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile program are necessary.  Moreover, we are hopeful that the international community can unite around the common cause of countering Iran’s troubling actions.

The opportunity now exists for Congress and the White House to work in tandem — not at cross-purposes, as congressional Republicans and the Obama White House frequently did — to deter Iranian behavior in the region. Trump will find out, however, that his soulmate, Russian President Vladimir Putin, won’t be helpful in this regard. In fact, Russia already called these narrowly tailored sanctions “counterproductive.” Russian officials insisted that the move “could hamper the implementation of agreements on Tehran’s nuclear program.” Russia, like Tehran, chooses to ignore the relevant United Nations resolution 2231 when the Kremlin argues that the “recent missile test launches by Iran cannot serve as an objective basis for any sanctions, because Iran does not violate anything, as there are no restrictions imposed on Tehran in terms of missile launches.”

Trump deserves credit for at least restarting the sanctions process. However, if he is going to reverse Obama policy toward Iran — as he vowed he would — he will need to come to terms with Russian opposition. He may finally understand that Russia is not our friend when it comes to the Middle East or anywhere else.