Pres. Trump today continued his reign of error in hectoring Iran about its malign influence in the Middle East. Virtually every claim, every statement he made about Iran was false. Not to mention that he directly contradicted reports from his own Pentagon that it was considering sending up to 10,000 more troops to the region to buttress the U.S. presence and its defense in the event of an Iranian attack.
This embedded Reuters video features a portion of his speech. It has to be heard to be believed. I’ve included a transcript below of all his comments related to Iran. In responding to a question about the report of new troop assignments to the region, he replies:
“I don’t think we’re going to need them, I really don’t…I would certainly send troops if we need them. Iran has been a very dangerous player, very bad player. They are a nation of terror and we won’t put up with it. The deal that was signed by President Obama was a horror show. It’s a terrible deal. The minute I collapsed that deal and terminated it, Iran went in a very bad direction. They’re now suffering massive problems financially, they have inflation that’s about the highest in the world. Their people and they have great people, I know many Iranians are great people. But the country is in very bad shape. When I first came here that was a country of terror. They were all over. I remember, and I’ve told this story, but I’ve been at many different meetings where every single problem caused in the Middle East , and maybe beyond, but in the Middle East was caused by Iran. They were behind every single, we had 14 different attacks at one point, they were behind every attack. So we’ll see what happens with Iran. No I don’t think we’ll need it but if we need it we’ll have we’ll be there in whatever number we need.”
Needless to say, whatever meetings he’s attending either aren’t presenting an accurate picture of all the regional players employing terror and military force to advance their interests; or Trump is asleep during the meetings and only wakes up when he hears the word “Iran.”
Iran, a ‘nation of terror?’ Compared to our killing a million Iraqis over more than a decade of war? Compared to our overthrowing governments we disliked, including Iran’s in 1953? Compared to our downing an Iranian airliner and killing nearly 300 civilians? Whatever military operations Iran’s engaged in–it’s a piker compared to those of the U.S. Not to mention Israel, whose history of engaging in acts of terror in pursuit of its interests are well known and documented, here and elsewhere.
One can only hope that Trump’s natural nativist perspective, which recoils from military intervention overseas, will overcome the worst instincts of his warrior class including Mike Pompeo and John Bolton. The news coming out of the administration not only changes from one day to the next; each day brings statements from Trump which directly contradict those of the day before. But the president’s natural instincts seem to be to avoid major conflict abroad.
If Trump thinks this policy disarray is good because it keeps Iran guessing, he’s wrong. Iran is sitting back and watching an administration slowly disintegrate before its eyes. All it has to do is wait till Trump is either impeached or thrown out of office. The only question is will there be a war before either of those things happen.
In response to another question asking whether Trump believes the U.S. should have intervened in regional conflicts, he says:
“No I don’t think so. I don’t think so. I don’t think. I don’t think we ever should have been there. OK, I inherited this mess. Should we have been there? No. We shouldn’t have been. Should we have gone to Iraq? Should we have attacked Iraq which did not knock down the World Trade Center? We had a place that was not conducive to terrorists. Ok. The terrorists were killed instantly in Iraq, and now it’s a sad, you know tough situation. So I think we should not have been in the Middle East, with that being said, we’ve done a great job. I took over the ISIS fight. We knocked out 100 percent of the caliphate. That doesn’t mean that they’re not going to blow up a store. They’re totally crazy. But we knocked out 100 percent of the caliphate. And I did it quickly when I came in. President Obama totally lost control. He’d lost control of the military. He had lost control of the fighting and our military was totally depleted and in very bad shape. These folks know that better than anybody. They were in very bad shape. We will soon have the strongest military that we’ve ever had by far, and nobody is going to mess with us.”
Trump reminds me of a programmed robot. He has four or five different pre-recorded statements he’s capable of uttering. Once he’s done with those, he can’t muster an articulate word on any other subject.
It is clear that you are a smart man, so it is astonishing that you keep making stupid conclusions on the things you write about. Deciding whether an attack can be considered terror or self defense does not depend on the numbers of casualties. So the US can attack and kill 100 times more people than Iran but still be just. Iran’s definition as a terror state does not depend on whether they are successful at killing, but on the reason they attack at the first place. And if you really believe that Iran supports groups like Hizzballa and Hamas for any good or justified reason, than maybe my first statement in this comment shoul be reconsidered.
@ Patrick Podolski:
I wish I could say the same. Because you’ve ignored the hundreds of analysts, journalists, academics and anti-war activists who’ve labelled U.S. and Israeli policy as government-sponsored terror. While it’s true that not every military operation or policy by these two countries may be portrayed this way, a huge proportion of our actions abroad in conflict zones may be properly called terror. Not to mention the allies we’ve armed who’ve engaged in terror.
As to whether Iran supports Hezbollah and Hamas for any “good or justified reason,” I suppose it depends who’s making that judgment. If you’re an Islamophobe, hate Iran, or are a big fan of Bibi Netanyahu (or Trump) then there is no “good reason.” But if you’re a reasonable person aware of the malign history of our interventions in the region and Iran’s response to them, you can find scores of valid reasons for Iran to act as it has.
“Trump reminds me of a programmed robot. He has four or five different pre-recorded statements he’s capable of uttering. Once he’s done with those, he can’t muster an articulate word on any other subject.”
Boy, how right you are. I’m no dittohead, never will be, but you’re spot on here.
My father, just before he passed away, was developing dementia at age 88. A brilliant man and a litigator who would put the fear of God in his opponents, was reduced in the last year of his life to a bunch of set phrases he’d pull out of his head for different occasions. I see Trump heading down the same path.
Bad players, indeed.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/04/04/iran-killed-more-us-troops-in-iraq-than-previously-known-pentagon-says/
@ Eunice Kearnes: Given the U.S. history of sabotaging Iran going all the way back to 1953, who can blame them? And what are those U.S. troops doing there in Iraq anyway? Occupying the country. Iraqis have a right to defend their country and throw out their occupiers.
Not to mention, the millions of Iraqis the U.S. killed over the past 2 decades. BTW, despite the headline, Iran didn’t “kill” any U.S. troops in Iraq. Iraqi Shiites did. Iraqis, responding to the U.S. occupation of their country. Yes, Iran supplied them with materials to conduct their guerilla war against the U.S., just like the U.S. has supplied weapons and intelligence to countless insurgent militants and armies in multiple countries (Nicaragua, El Salvador, Cuba, Chile, Egypt, Vietnam) when we don’t like the ruling government. So I’m afraid this is a bit of the pot calling the kettle…
The statement – Iran is a “nation of terror” – is subservient to the Saudi Kingdom which is now aligned with the interests of the Israeli state run by Netanyahu. The actors involved to get Trump elected president, once he won the nomination, can all be found with strong ties to the Middle East from Israel via the UAE to the KSA. The policy is set by the White House by choice of advisors and appointments to key tasks of the Pentagon, State (to dismantle diplomacy) and Ambassadors for the messaging. As a businessman, all Trump is doing is to repay a debt. For starters look at the role played by Steve Bannon, Paul Singer and Erik Prince. The House of Abu Dhabi is just as bad as the House of Saud. Trump’s hatched man is son-in-law Jared Kushner, family related to Netanyahu and befriended with murderous Prince Salman.
If Trump sends troops to invade Iran to do regime change, it will not be like the allies liberating France in 1944. The Iranian people will fight for their country. American troops will be massacred. Many will actually refuse to serve. American bases throughout the Middle East will be attacked. Hezbollah will bomb Israel. Gas prices in our country will go through the roof. Trump should be impeached and removed from office for a lot more reasons than just Russiagate.
If Trump sends troops to invade Iran to do regime change, it will not be like the allies liberating France in 1944. The Iranian people will fight for their country. American troops will be massacred. Many will actually refuse to serve. American bases throughout the Middle East will be attacked. Hezbollah will bomb Israel. Gas prices in our country will go through the roof. Trump should be impeached and removed from office for a lot more reasons than just Russiagate.
President Trump might follow his non-interventionist instinct and step back from the brink. Nations of course enter war – enthusiastically or reluctantly – in the furtherance of their national interests. But history demonstrates that powers end up getting the war they are seeking to avoid: defeat. Interests are supposed to bolster against ultimate existential threat: they do the very opposite. That is the case with Iran. There is a real risk the US could clash with Russia and China who also have vital interests in the region. The signs are of another world war – nuclear war.
https://www.ghostsofhistory.wordpress.com/
“Because you’ve ignored the hundreds of analysts, journalists, academics and anti-war activists”
As always, you cherry-pick your sources and completely ignore others. The fact some people agree with you, don’t mean you are right or that your opponent is wrong.
@ Yoni LEvy: the overwhelming preponderance of those I mentioned agree with my point of view. A few outliers and those lacking much credibility agree with you. I’ll stack the authorities I reference against yours anytime.