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Khamenei Will Not Compromise

Meir Javedanfar recently argued in Al-Monitor that sanctions will force Iran to accede to Western demands on its nuclear program. Reza Sanati responds that instead of compromise, the Western negotiating tack is likely to exacerbate the conflict. 
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during Friday prayers at Tehran University February 3, 2012. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday the Islamic Republic would not yield to international pressure to abandon its nuclear course, threatening retaliation for sanctions aimed at Iran's oil exports. REUTERS/khamenei.ir/Handout (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD

Meir Javedanfar recently argued in Al-Monitor that sanctions will force Iran to concede to Western demands on its nuclear program. His main argument is that the Western assault on Iran’s overall economy is so suffocating that rising domestic discontent will eventually lead to an Iranian “compromise” position in the space of “two to three years.”

Unfortunately, like so much of the conventional thinking among proponents of sanctions and “pressure,” his argument is built upon a series of fallacies that taken together, present an inaccurate picture of the troubled relationship between Iran and the West, and ultimately makes escalation toward conflict far more likely.

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