Trump desperately trying to trigger war with Iran: Academic
An Iranian-American political scientist says he believes outgoing US President Donald Trump is desperately trying to tiger a war with Iran on the eve of the anniversary of Pentagon assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.
Kaveh L. Afrasiabi, who has taught political science at Tehran University, Boston University, and Bentley College, is the author and co-author of several books, including Trump and Iran: From Containment to Confrontation.
Afrasiabi made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Thursday ahead of the first anniversary of the martyrdom of General Soleimani by the US military on January 3 in Iraq.
As the Trump administration is engaged in provocations in the run-up to the anniversary, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has warned that the Islamic Republic avoids military conflict, but is prepared to defend the country.
“Iran doesn't seek war but will OPENLY & DIRECTLY defend its people, security & vital interests,” Zarif tweeted on Thursday.
“With less than a month to the end of his wretched presidency, Trump may still cause further mischief by igniting a war in the region. Having failed to bring Iran to its knees with the maximum pressure strategy, Trump is dangerous to world peace and is apt to trigger a war with Iran through a false flag operation coinciding with the first anniversary of General Soleimani's assassination,” Afrasiabi said.
He added that Iran's best revenge is to deprive Trump of his sinister wish to harm Iran in the waning days of his presidency, by promoting regional tranquility and peaceful, cooperative interaction with the neighbors.
“Iran's national security interests dictate utmost vigilance and, at the same time, assiduous effort toward war-avoidance,” the analyst advised.
“As a co-author of a book on Trump, I have no doubt that Trump's Iran policy is untenable and will not be sustainable under the new administration, which is why Trump has been deliberately trying to escalate tensions and thicken the spider web of US military in the region in order to make it harder for his successor to disentangle himself from this web,” he noted.
“It is an irrefutable fact that despite all the Trumpian pressures, Iran's clout in the region has grown and US's hegemony is on the decline, a net legacy of General Soleimani, which must be preserved at all costs, above all by the exercise of prudent caution and regional and international diplomacy,” he stated.
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