Iran Focus

London, 22 Sep – As US President Trump is known for being an unpredictable political leader, the eyes of the world were on his first speech at the UN General Assembly, especially when he said, “We cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for eventual construction of a nuclear program.”

He spoke about such subjects such as the threats from North Korea, the refugee crisis, and Iran’s activities in the Middle East. In fact, he mentioned Iran 11 times during his speech, indicating that Tehran’s destabilizing actions in the region will be one of the most crucial issues for the US foreign policy.

Iran Focus

London, 22 Sep – On Thursday, H.R. McMaster, President Trump’s National Security Adviser, said that the administration is very concerned about Iran’s destabilising behaviour. He also said that the Iran nuclear deal is “fundamentally flawed” because it is so one-sided. Iran was the one that got all the benefits. Furthermore, the deal did not address fundamental issues leaving the regime free to advance with its nuclear program.

McMaster pointed out that there are various ways in which the US can deal with the Iranian regime and emphasised that Trump is looking at the full situation in the Islamic Republic rather than focusing on just the nuclear aspect.

He also said that Trump is ensuring that American interests are protected including American citizens and allies.

Iran Focus

London, 21 Sep – An Iranian translator has been forced to defend himself after coming under fire for altering Donald Trump’s address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, in order to downplay Trump’s criticism of Iran.

Nima Chitsaz, a translator for Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, said that he wanted to spare his Persian-speaking viewers from Trump’s verbal attacks.

He said: “I don’t think it would be nice for me to speak on national TV against my own country.”

However, if Chitsaz’s goal was to protect the people of Iran, it is unclear why he mistranslated a comment by Trump that spoke of the power that the Iranian people had to overthrow the Regime.

Iran Focus

London, 20 Sep – Iran and the US are heading for a confrontation, according to one US national security expert.

Hal Brands, a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Program on National Security, wrote an op-ed for Bloomberg in which he assessed that Iran is the adversary that the US should be concerned about, rather than North Korea.

Brands, a Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), wrote: “[Iran is] a rogue-state adversary, a potential foe that has proved rational yet ruthless in pursuit of its interests, including the aggressive development of its nuclear program and associated military capabilities.”