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In tonight’s program of Behind the Headlines we speak to our guests Dr. Alireza Nourizadeh and Mr. Hassan Shariatmadari and ask their opinions about:
Ghassem Soleimani’s tirade of taunts against president Trump;
US new threats against the Iranian regime;
Who wants a war?
And on the anniversary of the passing of the late Mohammad Reza Shah, from the time of the slogan of “Until the Shah is alive, this country is not free” 38 years ago, we have reached to today’s slogan of “As long as Iran does not have the Shah, this misery will continue”.
Dr. Alireza Nourizadeh:
What else do you expect from Soleimani, a former bricklayer, to say to Trump, when within that same regime a man with a doctorate in Persian literature calls the US president a “bully”. The ruling regime in Iran is comprised of a bunch of mullahs, gangs of thugs and Islamist technocrats.
Therefore the language that they all use is what distinguishes the Iran of today fromwhat it used to be under the Shah.
After the war with Iraq Khomeini had ordered the execution of Mohsen Rezaie and Rahim Safavi, the two commanders of the Revolutionary Guard, for their mismanagement of the war. This same Mohsen Rezaie has said that Iran has more than 50,000 US troops under its fire range in the event of the outbreak of a possible war. And yet Soleimani has been using a foul language and shouting out of fear and creating an atmosphere of near direct military conflict with US, which if happens, there will be nothing left of Iran.
Hassan Shariatmadari:
There is no doubt that the atmosphere is full of threats and counter-threats and very volatile, and the slightest sparkle can lead to a major military showdown, as with most of the wars that have started in history before. All wars of words have always ended in real wars between nations.
If it becomes clear that those who have shot missiles at the Saudi oil tankers in the Bab-al-Mandeb waterway are linked to Iran, there is a good possibility that the US army will interfere and respond.
And when we look at the fact that the US has decided to overthrow the Islamic republic regime, even one Iranian bullet can trigger this war, which will lead to the removal of the regime.
Khamenei and Soleimani at the same time are gambling on creating an atmosphere in which Trump walks back on his threats.
We are dealing with a regime that does not have the slightest respect for human lives, but in contrast, the US government is very weary of even losing one soldier, as it will have to be accountable to his or her family. We must tell the Iranian regime that the danger of a war is real and that it is directlyresponsible for its outbreak.
Dr. Alireza Nourizadeh:
The regime benefits from the presence of a controlled crisis in the country but is afraid of the crisis being used by Washington and Tel Aviv to implement their plans.
Khomeini could control the factions of the regime with one order to all of them but Khamenei lacks any legitimacy and neither the Rouhani government nor even the Guards listen to him anymore. Iran is currently held hostage to the rivalry of various mafia-type gangs.
Hassan Shariatmadari:
The Saudis will now ask the US to secure the safety of the Bab-al-Mandeb waterway, which will lead to an increase to the price of oil.
Soleimani has been responsible for the deaths of many Iranian and Afghan people in Syria and is now the biggest loser in the post-war situation in that country. And yet he is now blustering against the US and Trump, which is an indirect challenge to Rouhani too. And in the meantime Khamenei uses this rivalry to sustain his own power!
