The sanctions are useless. Why? The Iran Deal. Specifically, Russia is still involved in the negotiations! 

The United States will continue to engage with Russia over efforts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, even though Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine had made it a “pariah on the world stage,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Friday.

Price said US officials would now only engage with Russian counterparts on issues “fundamental to our national security interest.” That includes the talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, including Russia, Price said

“The fact that Russia has now invaded Ukraine should not give Iran the green light to develop a nuclear weapon,” Price added.

Yes folks, you read that correctly. Let’s sanction Russia for everything, even sanction Putin himself but STILL sit down with them at the negotiating table for the Iran Deal! Yes indeed. Let’s continue Iran Deal talks, while sanctimoniously blathering on about how sanctions have made Russia a “pariah.” 

This is why sanctions are worthless unless backed up with REAL consequences. It’s pretty obvious to anyone paying attention that Putin has wanted to put the USSR band back together for years. His actions in Crimea as well as Donbass are just two examples. Furthermore, he made it very clear in his speech last Monday that the only good Russia is the USSR Russia. 

Just yesterday Putin once again threatened Finland if they decided to join NATO. He’s been on record for at least five years with the same threat. However, given his invasion of Ukraine, his threats should be taken seriously. 

Here’s the problem. While the sanctions may piss off the billionaire oligarchs who’ve just had their yachts seized, and while this is going to hurt the Russian sport and entertainment industry, Putin doesn’t care. He KNEW sanctions were coming and planned accordingly. He learned multiple lessons from the 1979 grain embargo. 

“We must thank the Europeans for their agricultural sanctions. Well done. Thank you for all your sanctions,” Putin proclaimed on Oct. 21, 2021. Russia “doesn’t give a s–t about sanctions,” a senior Russian diplomat recently stated. These are not empty boasts. Western sanctions against Russia have a long, failed history.

When in 1979 the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter responded by imposing a grain embargo. The Soviet Union depended on food imports and the U.S. believed that limiting Soviet access to American grain would cause significant harm. The decision was controversial, and the CIA warned that the impact of sanctions might be minimal because the Soviets would switch to other suppliers, and that is what happened. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan quietly scrapped the grain sanctions.

Yes, Putin definitely paid attention during those years. Will these sanctions hurt Russia economically? To a certain extent. However, when we are paying Russia millions for their crappy oil, the sanctions are toothless. Moreover, Russia has signed coal deals with India and China. 

Russia and China have agreed on a new deal that will see Russia supply 100 million tons of coal in the “coming years” to its southern neighbor.

Sergey Mochalnikov, the head of the Russian Energy Ministry, announced the deal on Friday. The new deal will add to an already lucrative deal Russia signed with India in Nov. 2021 to supply 40 million tons of coal.

“Now, an intergovernmental agreement with the People’s Republic of China is being developed and the figure is 100 million tons,” he said. “In the coming years, consumers should receive as much coal as they need.”

In other words, the toothless economic sanctions are only a temporary hit to Russia’s bottom line.

FULL DOCUMENT: This is the general license that US Treasury has issued exempting any "energy" related dealings from the sanctions imposed on some of the biggest Russian banks. It's so wide ranging that even includes "wood" as a form of energy exempted | #Ukraine #OOTT pic.twitter.com/3X5t0LFi3W

— Javier Blas (@JavierBlas) February 25, 2022

Russia still has status because the U.S. and other countries haven’t kicked them out of the Iran Deal negotiations. 

Why the hell is the Biden admin talking today about trusting Russia on an Iran nuclear deal. Are these people that dumb? https://t.co/np9C7HkTb4

— Gary (@garyalan82) February 25, 2022

Why yes, yes they are that dumb. But hey! Let’s keep Putin isolated in Russia by throwing travel sanctions at him!

BREAKING: U.S. will sanction Vladimir Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, and members of the Russian national security team, White House press sec. Jen Psaki says.

LIVE UPDATES: https://t.co/1c4zPiKUga pic.twitter.com/GRFroAR1Xj

— ABC News (@ABC) February 25, 2022

Two things about this idiotic move. One: If Russia is still a factor at the negotiating table for the Iran Deal, how exactly will this sanction work? Bring them in via Zoom? Oh sure, that’ll hit them where it hurts!

Two: I guess that keeps Putin from appearing at the UN and giving a lecture ending with him either literally or figuratively banging his shoe on the podium Kruschev style! 

Putin is on record for threatening to turn things nuclear if Ukraine is allowed to join NATO. 

His troops are causing MAJOR problems with the safety and efficacy of the Chernobyl nuclear plant that they’ve now taken over. And the U.S. says they are still going to be a part of the Iran Deal negotiations?? Are you EFFING kidding me??!!

As I noted above, sanctions only work when backed with REAL consequences. Keeping them at the Iran Deal table and blathering on about why it’s awesome that we are still buying oil from them keeps Russia in the drivers seat on all of this. 

Just an incredible turn of events that Biden's war on American energy is preventing them from taking the necessary steps to actually hinder Putin's war on Ukraine.

They paused new oil and gas leases… YESTERDAY.https://t.co/dTlOAeCfuc https://t.co/QXMEujsUtM

— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) February 25, 2022

We are in the very best worst of hands. 

Feature Photo Credit: U.S. EU sanctions Russia via Shutterstock, cropped and modified