Bahman Kalbasi
@BahmanKalbasi · Iran watchers, nuclear experts & opposition
Bahman Kalbasi is BBC Persian's New York and UN correspondent.
Trump’s new airline industry sanctions on Iran is basically telling 90 million Iranians: No flying for you. Domestically and internationally. Will it impact the regime’s ability to fight the war or violently crackdown on all and any dissent? Can’t see how.
There is no sign whatsoever that the Trump-Netanyahu war has slowed down the repression of the Iranian people by IRGC. The very opposite is happening. More executions, more arrests and more threats of mass murder of Iranian people if they dare to protest.
“Help is on the way” is what Trump told the Iranian people 7 months ago.
Mass suffering in every aspect of life for 90 million people in Iran is what Trump and Bessent hold up as measure of success. From “help is on the way” to: look at how we are making 10s of millions of people fall deeper into despair.
US military killed two children and two adults last night at a wedding in Iran. Amirali Karimi, 4. Mohammad Mallahi, 16. Kolsum Mallahi Nazhdnia, 43 and Zarkhatoon Taheri, 50. “Help is on the way”
Local official said US hit “a wedding ceremony and a residential home were struck in Iran’s city of Kuhestak… two people were killed and at least 20 people were wounded. US Central Command did not immediately comment.” https://t.co/O0ZBjsgA6r via @NYTimes
Netanyahu bragging about dragging US to war with Iran.
“the principal victims [of US sanctions] will be ordinary Iranians whose suffering has become the chief measure of the policy’s success, targets of an unconscionable, indiscriminate, and almost certainly unlawful sanctions regime.”
Evidence that there is very little reputational cost in US for advocating the mass murder of Iranian people.