The Iranians ask us to surrender – again

The Iranians have trotted out a new “peace” plan, which the United States says it is currently reviewing. The exact text of the proposal has not yet been seen publicly, but multiple press outlets, including those tied to the Iranian government, have made clear that the plan includes all of the following points:

An end to all hostilities within 30 days. This includes Lebanon.

The complete withdrawal of all U.S. military forces from the region. Understand what this means. This is a demand that the United States remove its military forces from the Middle East. This is a demand that we pull out of Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, and anywhere else we have bases in that part of the world.

A guarantee of non-aggression from both Israel and the United States. We are expected not only to end hostilities and withdraw from the region but to promise that we will never again attack Iran. Ever.

An end to the naval blockade and all restrictions on Iranian ports and shipping.

The lifting of all U.S. and international sanctions. Iran will be free to buy whatever it wants, including components for advanced weapons, and to sell whatever it wants to allies and surrogates around the globe.

The release of all frozen Iranian assets. This means billions of dollars currently locked up in accounts all over the world will be handed over to the world’s number one sponsor of terrorism.

Reparations. As we leave the Middle East with our tail between our legs, we will be expected to pay Iran for all the damage we have caused, not just in the bombing but by virtue of the sanctions we have imposed for many years.

The creation of a new mechanism for control of the Straits of Hormuz. One must assume, from the overall tone of the demands, that this will boil down to a recognition that Iran controls this crucial waterway and will charge a fee to anyone who wants to pass through it.

Almost as significant as these demands is what is not mentioned. There is no suggestion of any end to Iran’s nuclear program. There is not the slightest indication Iran will even discuss giving up its highly enriched uranium. There is certainly no indication of regime change, democratization, or anything of that nature.

In the film Braveheart, Mel Gibson, playing the part of William Wallace, famously says to the commander of the opposing British army before the battle of Stirling Bridge, “Before we let you leave, your commander must cross that field, present himself before this army, put his head between his legs, and kiss his own arse.”

The historical accuracy of that quote can be debated, but it mirrors the tone and arrogance of this new Iranian proposal. This is a surrender document. We are the ones who are supposed to surrender.

We began this war on the assumption that a few days of bombing would topple the regime. That did not happen. It was never going to happen. The fact that we began a conflict of this magnitude based on that false assumption, disregarding effectively everything we know about Iran and the theocracy that runs it, still boggles the imagination.

We have now replaced that misconception with another, that simply blockading the Straits of Hormuz and denying the Iranian regime its oil revenue would bring the Iranians to their knees. It has not. It will not in and of itself.

The men in charge in Tehran do not think they are losing. They think time is on their side. They are rebuilding their military. They are manufacturing more drones and missiles. With the help of China and Pakistan, they are bringing in huge quantities of cargo from abroad, including the chemicals they need to make solid rocket fuel and the electronics they need for their war effort. They are dribbling out small quantities of oil by rail and via small tankers hugging the coastline and evading the blockade.

These men do not care about the suffering of the people. To the contrary, they are rallying the people and exhorting them to support the war effort and prepare for the long haul. They are betting we will blink first and simply walk away, leaving them victorious.

It is long past time for us to stop simply waiting for the Iranians to hand us final victory. Having started this war, we must now win it. That means sealing all land borders. That means sinking any vessel that puts to sea from Iran for any purpose. That means imposing a no-fly zone and shutting down commercial air traffic. That means seizing permanently all Iranian funds frozen around the world. That means sanctioning every Chinese entity that sells anything to Iran. That means resuming bombing. That means putting in place defenses against Iranian drones and missiles in the Persian Gulf such that Iran is powerless to respond in any meaningful fashion as it is inexorably crushed.

The Iranians just told us to surrender. Again. Let that sink in.

Originally published by AND Magazine