Days of US imperialism, unilateral actions numbered: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Professor Dennis Etler about the latest US sanction against Iran over Tehran’s missile program.

Etler is an American political analyst who has a decades-long interest in international affairs. He is a professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California.

The following is a complete transcript of the telephone interview conducted on Tuesday.

Etler said, “Despite his bombastic campaign rhetoric, disparaging the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran as 'the worst deal ever' that he would 'rip up' if elected, US President Trump has certified to Congress that Iran is in compliance and the nuclear-related sanctions will not be reinstated.

“This shows, once again, that Trump is a rump president who has no real power and that his agenda is a sham. In order to save face, the Trump regime has resorted to standard US bullying techniques, demanding that Iran adhere to non-existent provisions of the agreement forbidding the testing and deployment of non-nuclear missile defenses.

“Tehran’s refusal to do so has led the US to impose new sanctions. It should be obvious that if Iran is in compliance with the nuclear agreement, it cannot be violating it at the same time. The new sanctions are thus being unilaterally imposed by the US and are totally unwarranted.

“Iran is a sovereign nation which like any other, has the inherent right to defend itself from foreign aggression. The US however demands that it give up this right and remain vulnerable to attack without any credible deterrence.

“Of course it is the US which surrounds Iran with dozens of military bases and constantly threatens to attack it if it doesn’t comply with US demands. Iran knows full well that the US cannot be trusted to adhere to international norms and standards. It considers itself the ‘judge, jury and executioner' of global affairs, taking upon itself the right to invade whoever it chooses to defend its own national interests and those of its proxies such as Israel and Saudi Arabia. 

“The US has not given up on its imperial ambitions in the Middle East and will use duplicity and connivances of every imaginable sort to get its way. At present The US is pulling out all stops in its continuing campaign to isolate and demonize Tehran. The new sanctions are meant as a shot across the bow to warn Iran’s allies to stop assisting it in its efforts to develop a defensive missile capacity. This effort however lacks credibility and will not deter Iran from doing what it deems necessary in its own national interests.

“Iran has shown itself to be an essential component in the struggle against Daesh-sponsored terrorism which has metastasized and spread throughout the world. Continued US antagonism against Iran shows that its fight against terrorism is a sham and is meant only to support its attempts to maintain hegemony in the Middle East.

“The US targets any state that opposes its interference and intervention in the affairs of the region. With the destruction of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, Iran is now the last man standing between the US and its objective of making the Middle East safe for Zionism and Wahhabism, twin ideologies that serve the interests of US Imperialism.

“But these efforts on the part of the US are too little and too late. The world is rapidly changing and US war-mongering machinations are becoming increasingly transparent and rejected by the world’s people. Nations which are resisting US war preparations are gaining strength and influence. The days of US imperialism and unilateral actions are numbered.”

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