Bringing Iran ‘To Its Senses’

Lawrence Kadish

At the very least, the United States should return to a policy that seeks to bring Iran “to its senses” if not its knees. It is time to return and enforce strict economic sanctions immediately. (Image source: iStock/Getty Images)

As Imperial Japan pursued a strategy of aggression and murderous destruction in China, the United States in 1940 sought to confront Tokyo with a strategy of economic restrictions, trading embargoes, and the threat of frozen financial assets.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) said at the time it was not his intent to bring Japan to its knees but to its senses.

There are lessons from policies and strategies forged nearly 85 years ago that need to be learned and applied as it becomes evident to those even in deliberate denial that Iran remains the malevolent force in the Middle East, masterminding the recent carnage inflicted by Hamas on Israel.

Under FDR, the Commerce Department created a task force of specialists that identified key commodities they believed were vital to Japan functioning as a society and important to their military. From rubber and petroleum to chromium and silk, Japan’s imports and exports were analyzed within the context of their war-making capabilities. The U.S. Treasury would also deploy their analysts to track Japan’s cash reserves, including their tens of millions of dollars that, even then, was the crucial global currency for international trade.

Today, the United States is facing an Iran that has used diplomatic guile, terrorist surrogates, and hidden cryptocurrency transfers to handle everything from paying for imports to funding those who will do their bidding in Gaza, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. They are a sophisticated and ruthless enemy. Yet they are strategically vulnerable if America and her allies are prepared to use that most potent of weapons: economic sanctions.

Analysts report that Iranian oil exports have significantly increased over the past three years as U.S. sanctions eased. To no surprise, China has taken advantage of the opportunity to literally fuel their economy with Tehran’s “liquid gold.” But that is a minor sideshow compared to how Iran has used its resurging oil profits to instigate a conflict that has catastrophically harmed the ability of the Middle East to find peace. And tragically, it has been the misguided policies of the current White House that allowed these events to unfold.

Some may argue that, with militants in Syria attacking American forces at the direction of Iran, we have the right to respond by mining the waters off their oil terminals. That escalation would surely have unintended consequences, but our failure to enforce and sustain crippling economic sanctions requires us to understand the forces of evil we have allowed to be unleashed.

At the very least, the United States should return to a policy that seeks to bring Iran “to its senses” if not its knees. It is time to return and enforce strict economic sanctions immediately.

Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.

Mohamed Hadid Apologizes for Sending Racist, Homophobic Messages to US Rep. Ritchie Torres for Supporting Israel

Shiryn Ghermezian

Mohamed Hadid and one of his daughters, Bella Hadid, arrive at the premiere of Ismael’s Ghosts (Les Fantomes d’Ismael) during the 70th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France. Photo: Hubert Boesl/Cover Media via Reuters

Real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, who is also the father of models Gigi and Bella Hadid, continued to rail against US Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) on Sunday for supporting Israel, calling him a “shill being used by” the Jewish state while attempting to apology for sending offensive messages to the congressman.

A day earlier, the New York Post shared direct messages that Mohamed, 75, sent from his verified Instagram account to Torres, 36, over several months.

“You worse than the rats of New York sewage system. They have bigger brains than you. You might get a job as bouncer at gay bar,” Hadid allegedly wrote. The real estate mogul, who was born in Nazareth, reportedly told Torres that he was a “slave to whites” and another message read, “Make sure you dress as KKK to hide that ugly gray colored face of yours.”

The New York Post shared a screenshot of one message in which Hadid wrote to Torres, “You are just unusual Black and colorful mouth for Israeli and AIPAC and looking for payday of over 500K,” referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group.

In 2021, Torres became the first openly gay Black and Hispanic man to join Congress. He has been vocal in his defense of Israel following the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks.

Hadid took to Instagram on Sunday to apology for his remarks — but also accused Israel of committing genocide and further criticized Torres for being supportive of the Jewish state.

“I need to apologize,” Hadid wrote in an Instagram post. “Not for the anger I feel but for the words I used to express that anger.” He then called Israel “a state that not only mistreats Black and Brown people but pinkwashes their atrocities using their projected gay rights as a shield for their human rights violations.”

He added: “My feeling after 76 years of being a refugee from the country where I and my ancestors were born and watching a genocide unfold are at an all time high. I am watching Unites State politicians work as AIPAC messengers of genocide. I used the wrong words to express that anger but the anger was warranted. To send Black and Brown and other marginalized communities to do the dirty work of two countries who have never respected them is wrong. I apologize to my community for directing the conversation to this. And even for a minute from Palestine. All eyes on Palestine. Free Palestine.”