Abandoning Iranian Dissidents

For John, BLUF:  No perfect outcomes.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The Washington Free Beacon, a paper with a Conservative bent, says "Iranian Dissidents Criticize Obama’s Nuclear Diplomacy".  Interestingly, the dateline is Jerusalem, 17 March.  The Reporter is Adam Kredo.

A group of Iranian dissidents and political prisoners have lashed out at the Obama administration, lambasting its ongoing diplomacy with Iran, according to two open letters sent to the White House in recent days.

As Tehran and the United States move closer to a final deal aimed at stalling Iran’s nuclear breakout time at around one year, opponents are stepping forward to register their skepticism and anger over the agreement, which they say does little to address the Islamic Republic’s poor human rights record.

In each letter, the dissidents—most of whom are currently political prisoners in Iran—criticize the White House for ignoring the issues of human rights and democracy in Iran as they push to finalize a deal with a regime that the dissidents says is murderous and untrustworthy.

A bent for human rights often gets in the way of real politik negotiations.  On the Administration's side, it is difficult to achieve all of one's goals.  Negotiations mean compromise.

Regards  —  Cliff