Tipping Point Quick Hits (3.3.22)

An emboldened Iran, natural gas "plunder," and "apartheid" in Israel

Is Our “Response” to Russia Emboldening Iran?

As Mark Hitchcock and I discussed in yesterday’s Tipping Point Show, the lack of real engagement from the West related to Russia’s Ukraine invasion may actually be benefiting Iran. The invasion has destabilized the global energy market, and the concerns of the European Union and the United States about the resulting high gas prices may boost Iran’s confidence—especially as we continue negotiations related to Iran’s nuclear program.

Human-rights lawyer Irina Tsukerman said in this Jewish News Syndicate article that Ukraine was being sacrificed in exchange for “a lucrative energy deal and Iran’s cooperation” in ongoing talks in Vienna:

“The Ukraine invasion directly benefits the Islamic Republic,” she said. “Biden has alluded to securing cheap Iranian oil as an answer to high gas prices in the United States, a policy which has now been picked up by the media. Biden hit on rising oil prices again in his Tuesday speech, as did [U.S. Vice President] Kamala Harris in the course of the Munich Security Conference.”

Though stalled for weeks, the United States, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and Germany now seem to be closing in on a deal with Iran. Israelis see what is happening in Ukraine—and the West’s refusal to stand up against Putin apart from a few sanctions—and believe these governments are “pursuing a policy of appeasement.”