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Ever since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected Iran's president in 2005, relations between Iran and the West have steadily deteriorated. While, except for the United States, no other nation imposed any significant economic sanctions on Iran during the administrations of former Presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, the West has now moved to impose tough economic sanctions on Iran. Although, as I will describe, these sanctions are both immoral -- because they victimize first and foremost the ordinary Iranian people -- and illegal, one must not underestimate or ignore the contribution of Ahmadinejad's behavior and pronouncements, and particularly his aggressive, confrontational, and senseless foreign "policy," to the creation of an atmosphere that allows the United States and its allies to justify the sanctions. In other words, the Western powers will do whatever they believe is in their interest and offer whatever rationalizations are most viable. It is therefore up to the leaders of the targeted nation -- Iran, in this case -- not to provide easy excuses for the advancement of the external agenda.

Consider, for example, Iran's nuclear program, which is the most important reason for the sanctions. Ever since the existence of the Natanz enrichment facility was formally announced by Khatami in February 2003, Iran's fundamental position regarding its nuclear program has not changed: It has consistently rejected abandoning uranium enrichment, but has expr... >>>