US increasing trust deficit with Iran: Emadi
Press TV has interviewed Hamid Reza Emadi, Press TV newsroom director, from Tehran, to discuss the US role in Iran’s history.
What follows is a rough transcription of the interview.
Press TV: Give us your opinion on Obama’s decision, the timing of it, and some of the comments he made in his letter to Congress about Iran being a serious threat to the US national security and even its economy.
Emadi: The United States is just increasing the trust deficit that does exist between the two countries.
In 1953, you see the CIA stages the first overseas coup that the CIA ever staged against any country, against the democratically elected government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in Iran.
You see the United States continues the hostility towards the Iranian nation when it comes to the 1988 war that Saddam Hussein’s Iraq waged against Iran. The United States helped Saddam Hussein, funded its killing machine, armed Saddam Hussein.
You see after that, the United States navy is downing the Iranian passenger plane, killing hundreds of Iranians. Then you see the United States imposing sanctions against the Iranian nation, and creating economic problems for the ordinary Iranians. This line of hostility by the United States against the Iranian nation continues for six decades now, nonstop, and now you see this emergency act thing against Iran.
What kind of threat is Iran posing to the United States’ security? What kind of threat is Iran posing to the US economy?
Iran helped the United States when the United States invaded Afghanistan in terms of intelligence – provided the US with intelligence, and right after that Iran was branded as a member of the axis of evil by then-president George W. Bush.
Iran has been trying to play a very active role in putting down regional crisises, and the US is the one that is creating regional crisises in this part of the world.
Now Iran is being branded as a threat to the US national security, which doesn’t make any sense to me.
Press TV: Most importantly, what could actions of this type mean if a final deal is reached between Iran and the P5+1 in a matter of months?
Emadi: Actually, the US has to show goodwill towards the Iranians. Iran is talking in good faith with the Americans, with their allies within the P5+1.
These kinds of actions by the United States are not really helpful. They will damage the spirit of cooperation and good faith negotiations that Iran has demonstrated. It’s been very much lacking on the part of the United States.
