SEYED HOSSEIN MOUSAVIAN: Yes, good morning. Actually, I expected such a situation after Ambassador John Bolton was nominated as national security adviser. I have written many op-ends, articles during last year that it's going to happen. Because even this morning, if you look at USA Today, two high-ranking American congress-members, Senator Murphy and Representative Himes, they have an op-ed saying that John Bolton and Pompeo are leading the U.S. into a war with Iran. Some days before, another two very high-ranking congress-members, Senator Durbin, they had the same op-ed saying that John Bolton is taking the U.S. to a war with Iran.
Therefore, it is clear John Bolton wrote an op-ed at New York Times calling for attacking Iran, bombing Iran as the only option, as he said. He was allied with the terrorist group of Iranian terrorist group MEK. He gave lecture. He invited them to rule Iran. He called for regime change. Therefore, everyone knows what is the strategy and the mindset and the plan of Ambassador John Bolton. This is not confidential issue.
Second, the fact is that the Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu for many years has been pushing the U.S. to attack Iran. He has huge influence at White House. You remember when President Trump withdrew from Iran nuclear deal. Some days later, Bibi Netanyahu said, "I asked him to leave the JCPOA." The Iranian nuclear deal. "It was me who made him to depart from the deal." After President Trump designated Iranian army as a terrorist group, again, Bibi Netanyahu publicly said, "It was me who asked President Trump to designate Iranian army as a terrorist group." Therefore, this is very obvious, well-known.
The third issue is the fact bin Salman and bin Zayed, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and Emirate, they have been pushing U.S. for many years to attack Iran. You remember Secretary of State John Kerry three times revealed that in any meeting -- he said -- we had with Saudis, Israelis, the Emiratis, they were asking only to attack Iran, attack Iran, attack Iran. Therefore, the four B's team -- John Bolton, Bibi Netanyahu, bin Salman, and bin Zayed -- now they have excellent position at the White House to push the U.S. the dream they have had for years and years and years -- to drag the U.S. into a war with Iran.
That's why I would say what the American congress-members have frequently warned, Iranians have warned, Europeans they have warned, is happening, unfortunately. That would be extremely dangerous for the U.S., for the region, for Iran, for international community. Because look at the situation in the Middle East today. What happened after the U.S. attacked Iraq? Who were encouraging the U.S. to attack Iraq? It was John Bolton. It was Bibi Netanyahu who came to U.S. congress-member and publicly, in front of hundreds of members of the Congress, said, "We have evidence that Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction and supporting [inaudible]." And they pushed President Bush to attack Iraq.
And after that, everyone understood there was neither weapons of mass destruction nor evidence of any support of Saddam Hussein of [inaudible].
Therefore, everyone understand Iraq scenario is on the table exactly --although -- I mean, I should say, personally, I believe President Trump really does not want war. Even he is not after regime change in Iran. But they are taking him exactly gradually, inching him to a war with Iran. And look at the situation -- I mean, the consequences of U.S. attack on Afghanistan. After 17 years, over 50% of Afghanistan now is in the hands of Taliban, and the U.S. is crying to negotiate with Taliban for a face-saving after thousands of Americans and tens of thousands of Afghanis, they have been killed. Five thousand, six thousand of Americans, they were killed in Iraq. And look at the Yemen situation.
JUAN GONZÃ LEZ: Ambassador Mousavian, given the scenario you've laid out of the context of everything that has happened in the past, how do you see this latest news of these four commercial ships that were sabotaged and Iran claiming that they believe a third country is behind these attack? How do you see this as the buildup of a pretext to attacking Iran?
SEYED HOSSEIN MOUSAVIAN: Exactly. This is exactly what I have said for many months. How they would drag President Trump to a war. This would be such incidents in the region. It is not new. I have said for many months, in many articles and interviews, malicious attempts by conspirators, conspiracy attempts in order to blame either to attack the U.S. facilities in the region or to kill some American soldiers in the region or to attack American allies, facilities in the region. You just read last week some articles by Israeli papers saying that we have information that Iran is going to attack oil infrastructure of American allies in the region. This is the scenario. This is the conspiracy plan which they want to leave no option for President Trump unless to attack Iran.
AMY GOODMAN: Ambassador, we're going to break and then come back to this discussion and also figure out how this all started to spiral with President Trump pulling out of the deal that you helped to negotiate, the Iran nuclear deal. We're speaking with Ambassador Seyed Hossein Mousavian. This is Democracy Now! We will be back with him at Princeton University in a moment.
[MUSIC BREAK]
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, Democracynow.org .democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman with Juan Gonza'lez. We want to turn to President Trump last Thursday who was speaking at an impromptu news conference. He said Iran's leadership should sit down and talk with him about giving up Tehran's nuclear program. Trump declined to answer a reporter's questions about why he deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Group to Iran over what was described as unspecified threats.
REPORTER: What did Iran do to prompt you to send an aircraft carrier to the region? Is there a risk of military confrontation?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, they were threatening, and we have information -- we have information that you don't want to know about. They were very threatening, and we just want to have -- we have to have great security for this country and for a lot of other places.
REPORTER: Is there a risk of military confrontation, sir?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I guess you could say that always, right? Isn't it? I mean, you know, always. I don't want to say no, but hopefully that won't happen. We have one of the most powerful ships in the world that's loaded up and we don't want to have to do anything. What I'd like to see with Iran, I would like to see them call me. ["] We just don't want them to have nuclear weapons. Not too much to ask. And we would help put them back into great shape.
AMY GOODMAN: "I'd like to see them call me," President Trump said. We are still with Princeton University professor, Ambassador Seyed Hossein Mousavian, Middle East security and nuclear policy specialist at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Can you respond to what Trump said? And also, let's talk about the stranglehold of the sanctions that the U.S. is continuing to tighten against Iran. The effects that's having on the ground, ambassador?
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