Trump v. Iran

by Stephen Lendman

Iran hasn't attacked another country in centuries. It threatens none now. It's vilified for its sovereign independence. 

It values cooperative relations with all nations - urging world peace and stability, an end to aggressive wars.

White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, saying its legitimate ballistic missile program "undermine(s)" regional security and threatens American lives indicates continuation of irresponsible longstanding US hostility toward Tehran - risking unthinkable war if things get out of hand.

Trump's antipathy toward the Islamic Republic is no surprise, likely highly influenced by Israel and its ideologue supporters in America.

Candidate Trump blasted the Iran nuclear agreement, offensively calling it "one of the worst deals ever," - ignoring how much Tehran sacrificed for normalization with the West not forthcoming under Obama, now, or any time ahead as long as US-created adversarial relations persist.

At the GOP national convention last July, Trump lied, calling Iran "the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism," a dubious honor defining America - NATO, Israel and other rogue states its junior partners.

He said Iran is "flush" with cash released by America, not "flush" enough with lots of its assets still illegally frozen.

He shamefully claimed the nuclear deal puts Tehran "on a path to a nuclear weapon" - something it abhors and doesn't want, urging abolition of these weapons of mass destruction.

He promised to rescind the deal straightaway after taking office. More likely he'll illegally impose more sanctions, breaching it like Obama, maybe pressuring Tehran to walk away because Washington failed to deliver what it promised - then be irresponsibly blamed for protecting its vital interests.

The most serious threat is war, Israel's aim, wanting aggression partnered with Washington - a lunatic scheme, threatening the region if launched, perhaps getting Russia involved like in Syria, risking direct confrontation between the world's dominant nuclear powers.

Candidate Trump stressed noninterventionism. President Trump's hostility toward China and Iran risks unthinkable war.

Will he be a warrior president like his predecessors or curb US aggression? Will he devote more of America's resources to vital domestic needs or prioritize the nation's imperial agenda?

Will he be a responsible leader or just another dirty politician? For the most part, his early actions aren't encouraging.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

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