RNA - The New York billionaire, who during his presidential campaign more or less promised a non-interventionist foreign policy, has also repeated the anti-Iran rhetoric, promoted by war-party Washington and his cabinet members, accusing Tehran of supporting terrorism. In his words, “That deal, I would have lived with it if they said, OK we’re all together now. But it was just the opposite; it’s like they’re emboldened. We’ll see what happens.”
In response, if Iran has “total disregard” for the United States, it's because the US has historically earned it. If the Trump administration does not like the disregard it should begin to redeem itself:
1- Voltaire once said, “Our wretched species is so made that those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.” After signing the nuclear deal in 2015, it was Iran that showed a new road to the international community, including mutual trust and diplomatic settlement of disputes. Quite the contrary, it was the United States that began throwing stones at Iran by refusing to fully commit itself to the historic deal. The deal emboldened the Obama administration to impose new sanctions on Iran on vague charges. It was never the other way around.
2- The nuclear deal is cursed with the infernal actions of the United States (emphasis here) – especially seeing that the Trump administration has also published a list of 13 people and 12 entities facing new sanctions. Trump’s refusal to rule out attacking Iran militarily signals a marked escalation of tensions too. It came just hours after he said Tehran was "playing with fire” – all because it tested a single missile that the United Nations and other signatories to the nuclear treaty said didn’t violate it.
3- Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Flynn is desperate to convince the world that Iran is wrong - something his mind knows is a lie and wildly out of proportion. He says, "Iran is the world's leading sponsor of terrorism and engages in, and supports, violent activities that destabilize the Middle East." This talking point is filled with unutterable loathing, as in factual reality Iran is at the forefront of the Real War on Terror in Iraq and Syria. Those who disregard this reality suffer the painful consequences - left in the lurch at difficult times.
4- Wilful “disregard” for war-party Washington, not the United States and certainly not its people. Trump is desperate to make himself look intelligible, which is suicide for philosophy. Of the many things that the 37-year-old stalemate in relations demonstrates, one of them is Americans' shallow understanding of Iran and Iranians, who do not regard the US as an unfamiliar, hostile, and alien land. Iranians are savvy enough to debunk much of the corporate media they do receive. Americans are bombarded with misinformation and bias from Iran, the fake stories as powerful as they are ubiquitous. With few Iran issues treated with the depth they deserve, stereotypes are reinforced and existing perspectives hardened. It’s the new weapon of choice for war-party Washington to demonize Iran.
5- Iran has lost tens of thousands of lives as a result of terrorism sponsored by the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
If Trump wants respect, it goes both ways. For this to happen, Trump has to stop upping the ante and lying to himself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lies comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for his administration in the international arena.
6- If Trump is serious about fighting terror, Iran is the best ally America can ever hope for in Iraq and Syria. It’s the real obvious: The terrorist groups of ISIL, Al-Qaeda, and their off-shoots are all enemies of Iran. The people of Iraq and Syria know full well who is “sending money all over the place and weapons;” it is the United States and its regional allies that are pushing for regime change in Baghdad and Damascus, not Iran. The people of Iraq and Syria regard the US and company as enemies, never potential partners in the ongoing fight against terror. Quite the contrary, they see Iran, Russia and Hezbollah as their allies.
In sum, the United States has been engaged in wars, occupations, and conflicts in at least seven Muslim countries. It has left failed states littered in the Greater Middle East, and spurred the spread of terrorist groups throughout the region and beyond – disregarding the lives of millions. It takes a lot of effort for the Trump administration to claim otherwise. At this point, beyond upping the ante against Iran, no one can predict just what force, set of groups, nation or nations, or even religion the Trumpsters might choose as the next “great threat to national security.”
If the past few days are any indication, when it comes to enemies, the Trumpsters won’t stop with Iran and Islam. They are intent on pouring money into the further “rebuilding” of a “depleted” US military. They play fill-in-the-blank at any moment, naming a new enemy as often as they wish. They are in a global war to the death, which they will lose, bringing even more ruin and “disregard” down on the United States.
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