F. Mahmoudi
Al Arabiya, 21 September 2017 – After US President Donald Trump criticized Iran for violating the ‘spirit’ of the nuclear agreement, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei retorted on Sunday by saying that Iran would strongly respond to any “wrong move” made by the United States against Tehran’s nuclear deal with major world powers.
This is a well-known tactic known as “forward escape” used by the Iranian regime as it starts talking tough when left with no option to wiggle out of a crisis. On the eve of the UN General Assembly, the dangerous actions of the Iranian and North Korean regimes constituted the clearest and serious issues for US President Donald Trump.
Although the effects of Obama’s politics on Iran still influence the minds of many and some European policies do not appear to look beyond economic benefits on this issue, there should be no doubt that there is a definite shift in the policies of The White House against the Iranian regime. The Iranian regime has been wooing Europe to keep the JCPOA alive which seems riddled with shortcomings and pitfalls that undermine the desired solutions.
US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, speaks about the Iran nuclear deal at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, September 5, 2017.
Iran’s suspected role in weaponizing N. Korea
An article appearing in a newspaper linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards titled, ‘The futile wait for a decisive message from Europe to the United States,’ attacks Rouhani’s positions by writing, “why do our government officials tend to place impediments in their own way and unwittingly mislead public opinion by using dubious phraseology? If you wanted Europe to play the role of a message transmitter for you, then you should know it is not playing to your tune at all.’’
Due to the political situation, it was said that Trump’s speech at the United Nations focused on the three main themes — North Korea, Iran, and Syria. Again, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster at a White House press briefing on Friday 15 said: “We expect that Iran’s destabilizing behavior, including its violation of the sovereignty of nations across the Middle East, to be a major focus (of the speech),” McMaster told reporters.
McMaster was joined at the podium by US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, and the two detailed Trump’s plans. The president later addressed the UN on Tuesday. “It is a new day at the UN,” Haley said. “The UN has shifted over the past several months — it’s not just about talking, it’s about action.”
OPINION: North Korean nukes and the Iranian nexus
In response to a question about international diplomatic efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict in Syria, Haley emphasized that after the defeat of ISIS, “Iran is not going to be in charge” of the country. “Iran is not going to have any sort of leadership in that situation from where they can do more harm,” she added.
North Korea’s dangerous actions promote the interest of the Iranian regime, and it is necessary to adopt a wise policy. It seems highly likely that the Iranian regime has been helping and inciting the Korean dictator to follow a dangerous path in order to divert international pressure from itself and cause confusion by creating a new crisis.
Sources in The Sunday Telegraph state that North Korea has not made its technological progress alone. A British minister has said that although North Korean scientists are quite capable, it is obvious that they did not accomplish the recent advancements without external support.
Another source in the British Foreign Office has stressed that it is beyond the pale of a reason for North Korea to achieve all this success from nowhere. While Iran is among the list of countries suspected of helping North Korea, some experts suspect Russian involvement.
Last week, British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson said: “Right now, we are investigating how a country can achieve such a high level, of technology,” said Boris Johnson. “We are examining the possibility that other countries have played a role in this progress. The nuclear countries have inadvertently or deliberately helped them,” Johnson added.
The threat of fundamentalism and terrorism is a major threat to the contemporary world. The main focus of this threat lies in Iran. Without a rigorous policy against the terrorist and destabilizing activities of Iran’s clerical regime, the campaign against terrorism would remain handicapped.
Top officials of the Iranian regime have repeatedly and emphatically said that if they do not fight the enemy in Syria and Iraq, they will have to fight it in Kermanshah, Khuzestan, and Tehran! This statement exemplifies the astuteness of the Iranian regime’s strategy, which is based on the doctrine of exporting terrorism and crises abroad since 1980.
A ballistic missile is launched and tested in an undisclosed location, Iran, March 9, 2016.
‘Murderous regime’
Unlike the hidden nuclear activities program, which was intended to deceive the international community in the name of peaceful purposes, Iran does not hide its destabilizing activities.
The presence of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps and militias and their involvement in the Syria-Iraq war confirm this fact.
A decisive policy needs to be formulated to stop the Iranian regime from exporting terror and crises.
The president of the United States at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, September 19, classified Iran as a ‘rogue’ nation, which while threatening the world, is putting pressure on its own people.
He said that we want the Iranian government to respect the rights of its people and that the Iranian people are looking for a change.
Also read: Nuclear deal allows Iran to become the next ‘North Korea,’
US envoy warnsTrump added that the world cannot allow the “murderous regime” to continue its destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles. This is a speech that will undoubtedly be welcomed by the Iranian people.
The European governments should also welcome this speech and change their policies in relation to the Iranian regime.
Iran’s opposition leader Maryam Rajavi has welcomed the US president’s call on the need for change in Iran. She urged the need to make amends to the catastrophic policy of the US by recognizing the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) as the only democratic alternative to the theocratic and terrorist dictatorship.
