Robert Malley, former US special envoy to Iran and architect of the 2015 nuclear
talks, said proposed US "D‑Day" sanctions are both unlawful and unlikely to
achieve their stated aims, and could invite retaliation and military escalation.
He says Washington lacks clarity on outcomes and the plan is hostile and
ambiguous; adviser Bessent warned that immediate, full enforcement would shock
or even destroy the global financial system. Malley: pressure can collapse
Iran’s economy and currency — metrics the administration would cite as success —
but that would not reliably change Tehran’s core positions. If sanctions trigger
economic collapse, Tehran is more likely to retaliate than surrender, increasing
the risk of the very military escalation the measures aim to avoid. He added
that civilians, not regime elites, would bear the main cost, making the measures
an indiscriminate and potentially illegal attack on ordinary Iranians.
