Iran Issues ‘Sanctions’ on 52 US Officials to Match 52 Hostages

Islamists love their numerology. Whether it’s September 11 or their 52 cards here, there’s some magical numerology in the mix. And a symbolic threat.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday warned Iran that it would face “serious consequences” if any U.S. citizens are attacked after Iranian officials sanctioned multiple Americans.

“Yesterday, Iran purported to impose sanctions on 52 Americans. They do so as Iran’s proxy militias continue to attack American troops in the Middle East, and as Iranian officials threaten to carry out terror operations inside the United States and elsewhere around the world,”  Sullivan said in a statement.

I’m sure Iran is impressed by the “serious consequences” line coming from an administration that abandoned Americans behind Taliban lines and paid out ransoms for U.S. hostages.

What were the consequences for taking Navy personnel hostage and humiliating them on camera?

The media blithely blows by the 52 number without wondering why Sullivan had such a strong reaction to a sanctions list. That might be because the number matches the 52 hostages taken by Iran during the dawn of the Islamic takeover.

Someone at the National Security Council had enough sense to understand and explain that, while the media remains oblivious.

But then again, as Ben Rhodes famously noted, “All these newspapers used to have foreign bureaus. Now they don’t. They call us to explain to them what’s happening in Moscow and Cairo. Most of the outlets are reporting on world events from Washington. The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old, and their only reporting experience consists of being around political campaigns. That’s a sea change.”

“They literally know nothing.”

Literally.