Vijay Prashad, director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, chief editor of LeftWord Books, and chief correspondent of Globetrotter, told Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!:
"Shinzo Abe said that the Iranian nuclear deal is a factor of stability for West Asia. You know, this goes directly opposed to the Trump administration's view. And what's very important here is we're not talking about a country that's far from the American orbit. This is Japan, a reliable ally of the United States, which is not only reliant upon Iranian oil but understands that the warmongering in West Asia is going to be very bad, not only for Eurasia, but for the world."
Pompeo also blamed Iran for a recent assault in Kabul, Afghanistan, but the Taliban already claimed responsibility.
The Washington Post reported this is yet another sign of the Trump administration "itching for war."
In an MSNBC interview on Saturday, Former State Department spokesman Marie Harf stated Donald Trump's rhetoric toward Iran in recent weeks is similar to what the Bush administration told us in the run-up to the Iraq war.
"They're cherry-picking intelligence, they're upping what they consider to be the threat. And, look, there is a real threat. I don't want to downplay that. But what worries me the most is that something like this happens, or the Iranians do something else that is a provocation and we get locked in this cycle of escalation where John Bolton-don't forget John Bolton is still there-Mike Pompeo push President Trump so he feels like he can't back down and then we're in this cycle of escalation that, quite frankly, could end very badly. There is no reason to go war with Iran today. We can counter them in many, many other ways. The Trump administration doesn't seem to have a strategy to do that and that is scary to me."
So if Iran isn't responsible for the tankers' attack, who is, and why?
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a good bet.
On Saturday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called on the international community to take a "decisive stand" against Iran.
A Saudi-led military coalition, battling the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, described Thursday's events as a "major escalation."
Lawmakers are concerned about the Trump administration's cozy relationship with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
It is no secret Saudi Arabia, a majority Sunni Muslim nation, and Shi'ite Iran are rancorous rivals and the Saudi regime would love little more than for the U.S. military to wage war on its behalf.
Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, and the UAE have asserted attacks on oil assets in the Gulf pose a risk to global oil supplies and regional security, and crude oil prices spiked 4% after Thursday's attacks near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial arterial for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.
Pompeo and Bolton want a war so badly, especially with Iran, that Trump may not even realize he is being played.
But before we feel sorry for Little Donny, we mustn't discount that starting a war, similar to his aforementioned predecessors, is what Donald Trump likely believes presidents do to get re-elected.
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