Jesse Helms, isolationist who targeted Tehran, dies

By Leonard Doyle in Washington The former American senator Jesse Helms, a legendary isolationist who campaigned vigorously for sanctions against Iran, died yesterday, aged 86. Universally known as "Senator No", he was deeply sceptical of international co-operation and intervention. His refusal to ratifyinternational accords, notably the Kyoto protocol on global warming, made him the bête noire of the Georgetown foreign policy establishment. "Compromise, hell! ... If freedom is right and tyranny is wrong, why should those who believe in freedom treat it as if it were a roll of bologna to be bartered a slice at a time?" he wrote in an editorial setting out his political style back in 1959. US business disliked him for his campaigns for sanctions on Iran and Cuba. "Our allies in Europe must stop cosseting Iran. These terrorists... [read full story]