Rogin: Obama Administration Seeks to Further Isolate Iran

Josh Rogin writes in Foreign Policy  that the Obama administration is “asking countries around the world to stop letting Iranian leaders stop by for official visits,” and to tighten sanctions and pressure on Iran. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman stated, “We are taking robust diplomatic action to hold Iran accountable for this plot.”

President Barack Obama said, “This is not just a dangerous escalation, this is part of a pattern of dangerous and reckless behavior by the Iranian government. And for Iran to have been involved in a plot like this indicates the degree to which it has been outside of accepted norms of international behavior for far too long. This is just one example of a series of steps that they’ve taken to create violence and to behave in a way that you don’t see other countries doing.”

An editorial in the New York Times suggests that ”the administration should also use this moment to press hard for a new round of sanctions at the United Nations.”