Behind the Headlines/Nov 7

Jamshid Chalangi:

In tonight’s program of Behind the Headlines we will look at the new US sanctions against Iran and will ask how they will affect the economic life of the ordinary Iranians.

Also, we will find out what will happen to Iran’s oil industry and its exports under the new sanctions and how the regime’s policies have led to the animosities between Iran and the US.

Also, we will look at the outcome of US midterm elections as well as the plight of Iran’s working class people.

Our guests to discuss these issues are Allahyar Kangarlou and Mahdi Khazali.

Allahyar Kangarlou:

Before we talk about the consequences of the sanction on Iran we really need to find out why they have been imposed in the first place. Why among the 199 nations of the world our county has been constantly under sanctions over the last 40 years?

There are two answers to this question. If we listen to the Islamic republic its say because US is our enemy then it has sanctioned us.

But in private, even the Europeans have told the regime’s officials that the sanctions are the result of their policies in the region, which are destructive and carried under the banner of anti-Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The US benefits from an international consensus that regards the regime’s policies as being against the peace and stability of the Middle East and the wider world.

Mahdi Khazali:

The US policy towards Iran has been the good cop and bad cop between the Democrats and the Republicans.

The truth is that the nuclear deal was between Iran and the US and the other participants just attended the meetings.

The deal did not last because only three months after its signing Iran banned all trades with America and Trump said that the US has been deceived by the deal.

All Trump has done is to tear up a deal that did not benefit the US financially. US is not at war with Islam and our regime is not Islamic any way.

Plus, we are not the only Muslim country in the world and do not have the right to claim we represent it.

Our “Islamic country” is now embroiled in corruption, thefts and lies and our regime is only interested in launching a war between Muslims and the “infidels”.