Lifting sanctions on Iran's human rights abusers as part of nuclear deal is unnecessary and contrary to how US dealt with the far more dangerous Soviets. Both Carter and Reagan continued human rights pressure on USSR while successfully negotiating major arms control deals. 6/
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🧵As part of new Iran deal, US to reportedly lift all sanctions on many of Iran’s most barbaric abusers of human rights, including Khamenei, Raisi, Rezaei, Deghhan. This thread gives five reasons why that is a very bad idea and describes each of their abuses of human rights. 1/
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Lifting sanctions on Iran's worst human rights abusers sends a dangerous message of impunity to Putin and his henchmen at a time when they are committing war crimes in Ukraine and human rights abuses in Russia. 2/
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Lifting sanctions on Iranian human rights abusers abandons reformers, other dissidents in Iran. There were mass uprisings in Iran in 2018, 2019, 2020. Regime killed 1500 demonstrators in Nov 2019 alone. US should support the victims not free the perpetrators from consequences. 3/
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Lifting sanctions on many of Iran's worst human rights abusers empowers Iranian hardliners. Those who violate international law commitments on human rights are most likely to violate Iran's nuclear commitments. They should be isolated and sanctioned not freed from pressure. 4/
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Lifting sanctions on many Iran's worst human rights abusers weakens deterrence against future abuse. Iran likely to witness further mass uprisings. If these sanctions lifted, Iran officials will have less worries about personal price they might pay for crushing new uprisings. 5/
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Neither Carter while negotiating SALT II nor Reagan while negotiating the INF Treaty made concessions on human rights in order to achieve arms control progress. Instead, both Carter and Reagan made clear that human rights progress was key to increasing trust on arms control. 7/
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In Carter’s June 1978 speech at US Naval Academy, he both discussed import of the ongoing SALT II negotiations and discussed Soviet rights abuses: “The abuse of basic human rights in their own country...has earned them the condemnation of people everywhere who love freedom.” 8/
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Reagan speech after a summit with Soviets: "We didn't limit ourselves to just arms reductions. We discussed...violation of human rights...for a government that will break faith with its own people cannot be trusted to keep faith with foreign powers.” 9/
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Reagan's top arms control aide Ken Adelman: "Can we be surprised when a nation that makes no effort to abide by its human rights agreement commitments also violates its arms control agreements?" 10/
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Lifting sanctions on Iran human rts abusers contradicts Biden admin commitments. During confirm hearing, UnderSecDefense for Policy Kahl said US “should not be loosening sanctions on terrorism or human rights or anything else that checks back Iran’s destabilizing activities.” 11/
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Deal is to lift sanctions on Khamenei, who US judges held personally responsible, & ordered to pay $1B damages, for killing of 19 US servicemen by bombing Khobar Towers residence US base Saudi Arabia, as well as for killings of US civilians in 3 terrorist bombings in Israel. 12/
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The Iran deal will reportedly lift all sanctions on Ebrahim Raisi, now Iran's president, who was previously responsible for the execution of thousands of political prisoners and the unlawful torture and killings of hundreds of peaceful protesters. 13/
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The Iran deal will reportedly lift all sanctions on Mohsen Rezaei, former IRGC head, who is wanted by Argentina on an Interpol Red Notice for organizing the 1994 attack on a Jewish community center which killed 85 people. 14/
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The Iran deal to reportedly lift all sanctions on IRGC Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehghan, who was responsible for mass executions as IRGC Tehran head & also headed IRGC in Lebanon in 1983 when Iran ordered Beirut barracks bombing which killed 241 US Marines. 15/
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