Iranian Regime Celebrates John Bolton’s Exit
Iranian Regime Celebrates John Bolton’s Exit
The Iranian regime on Tuesday welcomed news of National Security Advisor John Bolton’s departure, saying the White House would now be in a position to better understand “the realities in Iran.”
“With the ousting of its biggest proponent of war and economic terrorism, the White House will have fewer obstacles to understanding the realities of Iran,” the IRNA state news agency quoted regime spokesman Ali Rabiee as saying.
Hesamuddin Ashena, a senior advisor to President Hassan Rouhani, tweeted that Bolton’s removal was a sign of the failure of the administration’s policy of “maximum pressure,” in the face of Iranian “resistance.”
“Do not doubt that we can manage the behavior of the United States of America toward Iran and will never back down,” he said. “Iran’s siege will break.”
Bolton is loathed by the Iranian regime for his hawkish views, his firm opposition to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal, his public calls in years past for regime change in Tehran, and not least of all his longstanding support for the exiled Iranian National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) opposition group.
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has become fond of railing against a so-called “B Team” – based on the letter B in their names – which he charges has been goading President Trump to war against Iran.
The “B Team,” says Zarif, comprises Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and the crown princes of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed.
“Today wasn’t a good day for the B Team,” tweeted Iran’s Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Abbas Salehi. “Even more bitter days are awaiting the enemies of Iran.”
But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – no fan of Zarif or Rouhani – said Tuesday foreign governments would be mistaken if they thought Bolton’s exit would usher in “material” changes to Trump’s foreign policy.
“I don’t think any leader around the world should make any assumption that because some one of us departs, that President Trump’s foreign policy will change in a material way,” he told reporters at a White House briefing on new counterterrorism sanctions authorities.
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Read the full article at: CNS News
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