Is it Time for Diplomacy in Iran?

By Ambassador Gary Grappo

Ambassador Gary Grappo served as Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad; U.S. Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman; and Charge d’Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He’s currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Middle East Studies at the Korbel School for International Studies, University of Denver.

Gary Grappo is a former U.S. ambassador who held senior positions including Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad; U.S. Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman; and Charge d’Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The various sanctions the U.S. has imposed on Iran have exacted an economic toll far more onerous than what the Iranians and other observers anticipated. Unlike those imposed in the past by the U.S., the EU and the UN, these were done to cause real harm and pain to Iran’s economy. And they have, despite brave protestations to the contrary by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

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