TWEETING IN ESHLISH QUOTE CARRYING OUT OPERATION ON IRAQI
SILE IS FLAGRANT VIOLATION OF
IRAQI SOVEREIGNTY AND A
DANGEROUS ESCALATION.
DANGEROUS ESCALATION. HERE WITH ME NOW TO TALK ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT BACK FROM AN
INTERVIEW WITH THE AMBASSADOR TO
INU.N.
INU.N. LET ME START WITH YOU BECAUSE
YOU WERE JUST IN THAT INTERVIEW
WITH THE IRANIAN AMBASSADOR TO
THE U.N.
THE U.N. WHAT IS THE OFFICIAL POSTURE OF
THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT RIGHT
NOW?
NOW? >> I THINK THE OFFICIAL POSTURE
IS THAT IRAN WILL RETALIATE AND
THIS IS AN ACT OF WAR.
AND AS AN ACT OF WAR IRAN
RESERVES THE RIGHT TO RETALIATE
AT A TIME OF THEIR OWN CHOOSING.
THERE WILL BE A RETALIATION, AND
HE WON’T GET INTO WHAT KIND OF
RETALIATION OR WHERE OR HOW, BUT
THERE’S NO QUESTION THERE WILL
BE RETALIATION OF PROBABLY A
MILITARY SORT.
MILITARY SORT. >> WELL, THERE’S A REAL SORT
OF -- THERE’S DISCUSSIONS NOW
ABOUT HOW THEIR PERSPECTIVE ON
THIS IS IN THAT THESE ARE ALSO
RATIONAL ACTORS AND A BUNCH OF
CALCULATIONS TO MAKE ARE, AND
ALSO I THINK FAIR TO SAY DO NOT
WANT AN ESCALATORY CYCLE THAL
SPINS OUT OF CONTROL.
AND THERE’S SOME THINKING THERE
WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN IN
RESPONSE.
RESPONSE. >> WHEN THERE’S MILITARY
RESPONSE THE IRANIANS LOOK AT
THIS AS YOU TOOK OUT ONE OF OUR
TOP MILITARY OFFICIALS, WE
RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REACT
VIOLENTLY TO THAT ACTION.
RATHER THAN LIKE, YOU KNOW,
PULLING OUT OF THE NUCLEAR DEAL.
>> RIGHT, A MILITARY RESPONSE.
>> IT DOESN’T MEAN THEIR
MILITARY IS GOING TO GO TO WAR
WITH THE U.S. MILITARY WHETHER
IN IRAQ OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE
MIDDLE EAST, BUT IT MEANS THERE
WILL BE A VIOLENT RESPONSE.
>> I THOUGHT OF YOU SAYING THAT
TODAY BECAUSE WE’VE THOUGHT
THROUGHOUT THE YEARS AND TALKED
ABOUT IRAQ.
ABOUT IRAQ. AND THE CONTEXT FOR THIS MOMENT
IS THERE’S BEEN THESE INCREDIBLE
PROTESTS IN IRAQ, THIS SORT OF
AMAZING UP RISING AGAINST
CORRUPTION AND IRANIAN AND
AMERICAN DOMINATION AND THE SORT
OF PRO-NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY FOR
IRAQ.
IRAQ. AND WHAT DOES WHAT HAPPENED LAST
NIGHT MEAN FOR IRAQI CIVIL
SOCIETY?
SOCIETY? >> WELL, THERE ARE KIND OF
RESPONSES IN IRAQI’S STREETS
TODAY.
TODAY. THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE ANGRY,
THOSE WHO ARE HAPPY AND THOSE
WHO ARE WORRIED.
THOSE WHO ARE ANGRY ARE BACKED
BY IRANIAN MILITIAS OR SUPPORTED
BY IRANIAN GOVERNMENT, MILITIAS
IN IRAQ THAT ARE VERY STRONG,
HELPED LIBERATE IRAQ FROMESIS.
SO, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE STRONG
AND A GOOD CHUNK OF IRAQIS.
BUT THE ONES WHO ARE HAPPY HAVE
WORRIED ARE THE TWO KIND OF
IRAQIS WHO HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN
DOMINATING THE STREETS OF IRAQ
IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS AND THE
MOST AMAZING SECULAR, LIBERAL,
NATIONAL REVOLUTION LED BY THE
YOUTH.
YOUTH. PEOPLE WERE COURAGEOUSLY GOING
OUT IN THE STREETS.
WE ARE ONE COUNTRY, CALLING OUT
THE CORRUPTION OF RELIGIOUS
LEADERS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
SAYING WE WANT A NEW ELECTION
LAW.
LAW. WE DO NOT WANT ANY SECTARIAN
GOVERNMENT, WE WANT A LEADER AND
NOW THEY ARE DEBATING WHO SHOULD
BE THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE
IRAQ.
IRAQ. SO THERE’S A MOVEMENT TOWARDS
PROGRESS WITH THESE
DEMONSTRATORS.
DEMONSTRATORS. THOSE DEMONSTRATORS RIGHT NOW
ARE DIVIDED.
ARE DIVIDED. THOSE WHO ARE WORRIED ARE SAYING
WE DO NOT WANT THE PROXY WAR
HAPPENING IN IRAQ, WE ARE
EXHAUSTED.
EXHAUSTED. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF IRAQIS
HAVE DIED AND SINCE THE LAST
U.S. INVASION, AND SO WE DO NOT
WANT ANYMORE WARS FOR GOD SAKE
AND THEN THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE
SAYING IF THE U.S. IS GOING TO
>> Narrator: VENE COME BUT
INTERVENE FULLY, AND COME AND
OCCUPY AND TAKE OVER AND GET RID
OF THE IRANIAN BACKED MILITIAS
AND ALL THAT.
THE POINT IS THERE’S SO MANY
POINTS IN THERE THERE’S A
SECULAR CIVIL MOVEMENT IN IRAQ
THAT WE DON’T KNOW ITS STATUS
RIGHT NOW SO THE GOVERNMENT MAY
SAY ENOUGH OF THAT, GO BACK
HOME.
HOME. SO THAT’S A VERY LIKELY CHANCE
IN HERE.
IN HERE. BUT WE ALSO HAVE IRAQI SHIAS,
THAT WHOLE NARRATIVE SUPPORTING
ALL OF THESE THINGS HAVE
STOPPED.
STOPPED. NOW A LOT OF THEM SAYING WE DO
NOT WANT IRANIAN INTERVENTION IN
OUR SOIL.
OUR SOIL. >> THERE’S ALSO -- THE IRANIAN
GOVERNMENT IS UNDER INCREDIBLE
PRESSURE AND STRESS, TOO.
THERE WERE PROTESTS AND THERE
WERE RATCHETING UP OF SANCTIONS
WHICH HAD A MATERIAL EFFECT ON
AVERAGE IRANIANS.
AVERAGE IRANIANS. THERE’S LOTS OF THINGS AMERICA
HAS DONE TO MAKE THE LIVES OF
IRANIANS MIZSERABLE.
IRANIANS MIZSERABLE. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN TERMS OF,
LIKE, THEIR CALCULATION OF WHAT
TO DO NEXT?
>> WELL, I THINK THAT A
CALCULATION IS GOING TO BE BASED
ON WHAT THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT
FEELS THE PEOPLE OF IRAN CARE
ABOUT.
ABOUT. AND RIGHT NOW IT SEEMS AT LEAST
THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE OF
IRAN WANT SOME FORM OF REVENGE.
I’M NOT SAYING ALL IRANIANS DO.
>> THERE’S SOME RALLY AROUND THE
FLAG.
FLAG. >> THERE’S ALWAYS GOING TO BE A
RALLY AROUND THE FLAG.
IMAGINE IF YOU WILL IF A FOREIGN
GOVERNMENT ASSASSINATED SOMEBODY
WE DON’T LIKE THAT AS A DEMOCRAT
WE DENT LIKE.
YOU WOULD STILL SAY THAT’S NOT
OKAY.
OKAY. >> CORRECT.
>> CORRECT. >> I DO NOT WANT JOHN BOLTON
KILLED BY A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT.
OUR TOP GENERAL WHO PREVENTED
ISIS FROM COMING TO IRAN AND
PREVENTED ISIS FROM GETTING PAST
IRAQ, ACTUALLY DEFEATED -- HELP
DEFEAT HAEGS HAS BEEN
ASSASSINATED BY THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT, QUITE PROUDLY BY THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT.
U.S. GOVERNMENT. SO I THINK THAT EFFECT IS THERE.
AND I WOULD DISAGREE WITH WHAT
AMBASSADOR CROCKER SAID, I DON’T
THINK THEY’VE BEEN NECESSARILY
WEAKER.
WEAKER. THIS IS HUGE BLOW.
THIS IS HUGE EMOTIONAL BLOW I
BELIEVE FOR THE IRANIANS BUT
THEY’RE VERY DEEP.
THE REVOLUTIONARY GUARD
COMMANDERS THEY KIND OF LIKE POP
UP.
UP. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
PLAY WHACK AMOLE WITH THE
IRANIAN REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS SO
THESE ARE NOT PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT
AWARE OF -- WERE NOT AWARE OF
WHAT THE POLICIES, THE PLANS
WERE.
WERE. AND IF THOSE PLANS WERE SET IN