In a new half-hour interview with host Sophie Shevardnadze at the RT show SophieCo, College of William & Mary Professor Lawrence Wilkerson discussed in detail his thoughts concerning United States foreign policy toward Iran, including his judgement that the claim that Iran is the greatest state sponsor of terrorism in the word — a claim used to justify US antagonism toward the nation — is a lie.
Wilkerson, who retired from the United States Army as a colonel and was chief of staff for Secretary of State Colin Powell in the George W. Bush administration, examines in the interview a variety of aspects of US policy regarding Iran. Matters discussed include how antagonism toward Iran influences the US military’s continued presence and activities in Syria, the draconian sanctions the US imposes on Iran and how nations are seeking to circumvent those sanctions, and the possibility that President Donald Trump will announce shortly before the November midterm election that he will be meeting with Iran President Hassan Rouhani and Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Perhaps Wilkerson’s most eye-opening observation comes when he addresses a frequently offered justification for the US government’s antagonism toward Iran — that Iran is the greatest state sponsor of terrorism in the world. That claim, says Wilkerson, is a lie. Here, from near the end of the interview, is Wilkerson’s exchange with Shevardnadze regarding that claim:
Shevardnadze: I just don’t get it. Why is America so hellbent on fighting Iran for decades and decades now? I really don’t get the reasons for all this anti-Iran sentiment. I mean, nothing stopped these two countries from living normally with each other, like it had been under the Shah. And, you know, when they use the pretext of terrorism, I was just like, “I yet have to see one Shia terrorist blowing up something in Paris, Madrid, London, Brussels, or Berlin.” What is this all about?
Wilkerson: When you find the answer to that question, please email me. I ask the same question. I did the war-planning for the principal force provider command in the United States military for years. I’ve worked on this region for years. I do not understand this. Saudi Arabia is the greatest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, still today, and yet we call Iran that. We lie when we say that. We outright, blatantly lie when we say that. Moreover, we know we’re lying. So I don’t understand this either. I am as perplexed as you are at this fascination we have for the tyranny in Riyadh and the hatred we have for the theocracy, partial democracy in Tehran. In geopolitical, in geostrategic terms, it makes no sense whatsoever.
Watch Wilkerson’s complete interview here:
Wilkerson is an Academic Board member for the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.
