News / Interviews

Trump seeks to prolong wars in Middle East: Commentator

Monday, 30 January 2017 3:35 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 30 January 2017 4:41 PM ]

US President Donald Trump (L) speaks on the phone to King Salman of Saudi Arabia, watched by (2-L) Senior Advisor Jared Kusher, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (2-R) and National Security Michael Flynn, in the Oval Office of the White House on January 29, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by AFP)

US President Donald Trump and Saudi King Salman have talked for the first time on the phone, discussing a range of issues including the conflicts in the Middle East, Iran’s role in the region, as well as the fight against terrorism.

According to a senior Saudi source, the two leaders agreed on enhancing coordination in ‘fighting terrorism, extremism and its funding" and also establishing safe zones in Syria and Yemen.

This is while Saudi Arabia, where the extremist Wahhabi ideology is practiced, is widely believed to be supporting and funding the Takfiri terrorist groups that have been wreaking havoc mainly in Iraq and Syria.

A political commentator in Beirut believes Donald Trump is trying to protect the United Sates’ allies in the Middle East, adding that he is seeking to prolong the current conflicts and wage new wars against its opponents in the region - namely Iran.

“So Trump’s main interest and focus is how to protect Israel and then how to keep on attacking Iran and trying to weaken Iran’s policies and diplomacy in the region. He is trying to limit the power of Iran in the region.” Redwan Rizk told Press TV in an interview on Monday.

The commentator further predicted that Trump’s suggestion for safe zones in Syria and Yemen “is not going to succeed at all”, arguing that it can only provide a way for terrorist groups to use these areas as “shelter”.

He also stated Trump is trying to pursue the old plan of dividing the Middle Eastern countries and shattering them into pieces. However, he said, this plan is not going to work at all.

Rizk further said Trump’s claims about fighting terrorism should not be taken seriously because the United States’ regional allies are still funding terrorists and supplying weapons to the terror groups.

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