“The (US) president has to make a choice about his desire for a legacy for doing something right and solving some problems with Iran and the Middle East or surrendering to the Zionists and Neoconservatives who want endless wars and totalitarian rule,” said Sheldon Foote, a professor of accounting at California State University, Fullerton.
He made the remarks as the US Departments of Treasury and State on Thursday issued new sanctions against a number of companies and individuals for “providing support for” Iran’s nuclear energy program.
While criticizing sanctions as an “act of war”, Mr. Foote called on the White House to try to establish “diplomatic relations” with the Islamic Republic.
“Hopefully Obama understands that if he permits sanctions to go forward and the further attempts to increase pressure on Iran he has destroyed any chance of a legacy for himself," he added.
The move by the administration of President Barack Obama comes as Iran and the five members of the UN Security Council plus Germany reached an interim deal in Geneva last month over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
Iranian officials have strongly reacted to the new anti-Iran sanctions, saying they are against the spirit of the Geneva nuclear deal. American authorities, however, say the sanctions are within the framework of the current punitive measures.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has warned that the Geneva accord would be “dead” if US Congress passes new sanctions against Tehran.
