Robert Malley: ‘The more Iran represses, the more there will be sanctions’ LONDON: Tehran’s decision to arm Russia in the war against Ukraine, and its crackdown on anti-regime protests, have made the prospects of reviving the nuclear deal slim, said the US special envoy on Iran, The Observer reported on Sunday. At a conference in Rome, Rob Malley said Iran’s leadership has trapped itself in a “vicious” and “self-reinforcing” cycle in which it continues to ostracize itself from its own people and the international community. “The more Iran represses, the more there will be sanctions; the more there are sanctions, the more Iran feels isolated. The more isolated they feel, the more they turn to Russia; the more they turn to Russia, the more sanctions there will be, the more the climate deteriorates, the less likely there will be nuclear diplomacy,” he added. “The repression of the protests and Iran’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine is where our focus is because that is where things are happening, and where we want to make a difference.”