In case you were not confused enough as it is

U.S. Has Approved Billions in Business With Blacklisted Nations - NYTimes.com

I just finished reading "Treacherous Alliance" by Trita Parsi.  If you want to understand the confusing world we live in today, it helps to understand the confusing events of the recent past.  It is a great read.  Much like a slightly aged version of WikiLeaks.