Iran Only Major Obstacle to US Hegemony in Mideast: Analyst

“Bolton, Pompeo, and many others within Trump’s inner circle are rabid Zionists. They plan on consolidating US Imperialist control of the Middle East through the agency of Israel and Saudi Arabia. The major obstacle to US hegemony in the Middle East is the Islamic Republic of Iran. The US is marshalling all the forces it can muster to combat Iranian influence in the region,” Dennis Etler, a professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, told Tasnim.

Following is the full text of the interview.

Tasnim: Late Sunday night, the White House made an announcement that the USS Abraham Lincoln and a bomber task force were being deployed in response to unspecified "troubling and escalatory indications and warnings." What is your take on the deployment?

Etler: The Trump Administration is ratcheting up a full spectrum assault against Iran. Pressure is being applied diplomatically to isolate Iran within the international community of nations, economically with sanctions and an oil embargo and now militarily with these deployments. The unspecified "troubling and escalatory indications and warnings," are fabrication of Israeli intelligence and serve as a pretext to escalate US attempts to destabilize Iran and foment regime change.

Tasnim: A statement from National Security Adviser John Bolton said the deployments were intended "to send a clear and unmistakable message to Iran that any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force." Why do you think Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Israeli PM are pushing the US into a war with Iran?

Etler: Bolton, Pompeo, and many others within Trump’s inner circle are rabid Zionists. They plan on consolidating US Imperialist control of the Middle East through the agency of Israel and Saudi Arabia. The major obstacle to US hegemony in the Middle East is the Islamic Republic of Iran. The US is marshalling all the forces it can muster to combat Iranian influence in the region.

Tasnim: The deployment of the warship was based on claims of a possible attack on US forces stationed in the region. So far, there is little detail from the Americans of the alleged Iranian actions that have prompted this warning nor of the specific US deployments under way. It seems that the Trump administration is looking for pretexts to wage war. How do you see this? What is the goal of the administration?

Etler: Claims of a possible attack by Iran on US forces stationed in the region are pure speculation and totally unsubstantiated. It is a classic case of fake news and disinformation, the template of which was the campaign waged against Iraq’s alleged possession of WMDs that served as a pretext for the US-Iraqi War.

Tasnim: Many critics of the US administration fear a developing drumbeat towards a conflict which, they fear, could erupt either by accident or by design. Iranian state and military officials have repeatedly stressed Iran will never start a war and it will only defend itself. What are your thoughts on this?

Etler: The US is engaging in gun-boat diplomacy and brinksmanship against Iran. The imperialists are pushing the volatile situation in the region to its limits, hoping that it will lead to Iran buckling under the pressure. They want Iran to “give up the ghost” and become a compliant vassal state of the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia. They are blinded by their own hubris and deluding themselves. History shows they will be met with ignominious defeat and humiliation.