"Bias in the Shadows: Why the U.S. is Singling Out Iran for Special Treatment. A stark anomaly in U.S. foreign policy has long puzzled observers: the vastly different treatment of two nations with striking similarities. Both Iran and Pakistan are Islamic republics with authoritarian governments, histories of ties to transnational terrorist networks, and complicated relationships with the United States. Yet, while Pakistan has received billions of dollars in aid and military assistance, Iran has been subjected to crippling sanctions and denied access to civilian nuclear technology. As the U.S. continues to navigate the complex web of international relations, the question remains: what explains this glaring disparity in policy? A closer examination of the strategic calculus behind this dichotomy raises more questions than answers, and sheds light on the motivations driving America's actions in the region."
By any reasonable strategic measure, the divergent nature of U.S. policy toward Iran and Pakistan defies logic. Both are Islamic republics. Both are authoritarian in structure. Both have had links to transnational terrorist networks. And both have long had fraught relationships with Washington. Yet one is relentlessly sanctioned, threatened and even denied civilian nuclear rights...
