U.S. & Iran: Four Decades of Hostility
The danger of war between the U.S. and Iran is increasing. U.S. forces virtually surround Iran. And they are being ramped up. In classic gunboat diplomacy a U.S. aircraft carrier battle group is positioned off the coast of Iran. Imagine if Iran had a naval armada off of New York or had troops in Canada. Why would Iran risk an armed confrontation with Washington? U.S. firepower would obliterate it. The Secretary of State demands that Iran “behave like a normal nation.” By that does he mean like the U.S. with its bases everywhere and almost $ trillion military budget? Why did the U.S. abandon the Iran deal which according to the UN was working? Instead of sending warships, missiles and bombers to the Persian Gulf, Washington should send diplomats. We should have dialogue rather than hectoring and threatening war.
Interviewed by David Barsamian.
Recorded at the University of Denver.
Speaker

Ervand Abrahamian
Ervand Abrahamian is distinguished professor emeritus of Iranian and Middle Eastern history and politics at the City University of New York. He is the author of Iran Between Two Revolutions, A History of Modern Iran and The Coup: 1953, the CIA, and the Roots of Modern U.S.-Iranian Relations.
JOHN –
Ervand Abrahamian VERY SHARP, WISH MANY OF THE DOPES IN WASHINGTION
WOULD READ/LISTEN TO HIM!!
Zia Ahari, M.D. –
Ervend Abrahamian is a man whose intimate knowledge with modern Iranian history is without a doubt unique. I first became acquainted with his work immediately after the publication of his first book ” Iran Between Two Revolutions.” Later when his other two books were published, I found them proof of this belief. I listened to this broadcast and enjoyed it very much. In these troubled times, when the U.S. is again threatening to overthrow a regime without a plausible alternative replacement send shivers down my spine. The alternatives suggested are MEK, the cult-like tiny group of brainwashed people now encamped in Albania and Mr. Reza Pahlavi the Shah-in-waiting, both entities that have minimal support among Iranians. MEK is detested by the Iranians of almost all colors because of their participation in the Iran-Iraq war 1980-1988, on the Iraqi side of the conflict against Ira. According to their own publications, they slaughtered some 50,000 Iranian soldiers. Mr. Reza Pahlavi, has little hope of return, as historically if it did happen, he will be the second monarch in history that returns to the throne after the dissolution of his dynasty. That sole exception is the return of King Juan Carlos of Spain, but he never left the country and his dynast was not dissolved.
A famous Iranian proverb says ” Don’t steal a spire before finding a well to hide it in.”