Trump’s ‘Iran sanctions’ bluster boomerangs

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN - U.S. President Donald Trump’s lame attempts at projecting himself as a formidable world leader continue to boomerang. This week, he released a meme on his official Twitter handle, intended to replicate the uber-popular book series/TV show Games of Thrones (GOT) message, warning Iranians that the sanctions were coming.

The image that read ‘Sanctions Are Coming’ – a reference to GOT saying ‘Winter Is Coming’ with imagery and typeface similar to the popular show was widely shared over social media with messages mocking the megalomaniac president and the wisdom behind posting such a ridiculous meme.

After the tweet, HBO issued a statement, catching Trump off guard. “We are not aware of this messaging and would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes,” the statement read.  Trump knew he had miscalculated again but there was no way for damage control. It was followed by heaps of scorn and sarcasm directed at the U.S. president, who seems to have redefined buffoonery and foolhardiness.

Pertinently, the author of Game of Thrones series – George R. R. Martin – had once used his own creation to mock at the U.S. President, comparing him with King Joffrey, an iniquitous child who killed for fun and adopted extremely nasty ways. “I think Joffrey is now the king in America,” he said in an interview to Esquire last year. “And he has grown up just as petulant and irrational as he was when he was thirteen in the books.”

Interestingly, Martin is not the only one to make such a comparison. Days before Trump’s inauguration, Jimmy Falon joked at the Golden Globes – “What would it be like if King Joffrey had lived… Well, in 12 days we are going to find out,” drawing laughter from the packed hall.

Trump’s facetious meme elicited reactions on expected lines. “Not today,” wrote GOT actor Maisie Williams, who plays the role of youngest surviving Stark sibling. In season one, when a sword-fighting instructor would ask her: “What do we say to death?” she would reply, “not today”.

The National Iranian-American Council also jumped in with their own GOT-inspired meme, saying “Donald Trump is a literal White Walker, fear-mongering, war-mongering and championing division at every opportunity for political gains.”

American writer and blogger Andy Ostroy took to Twitter to lambast Trump, asking “what kind of sick, twisted, cliff-hanging reality show stuff was it”. Author and speaker Tomi Ahoneh warned Trump that indictments, not sanctions, were coming after the election, as Mueller has been waiting. “Your real nightmare starts on Wednesday. Sleep tightly Trump, sleep tightly,” he wrote.

A Twitter user termed it a “complete joke”, saying the idea of sanctioning Iran because they stood by the nuclear deal, while the U.S. withdrew from it, was “despicable”. Another compared the Trump administration with a reality TV show.

The reaction from Iran has been remarkably measured and restrained. Iranians have dismissed what they believe is the customary bluster from the U.S. President who is not taken seriously even by his own people. Young Iranians took to Twitter to warn the U.S. President not to threaten the Islamic Republic as such hollow bluster was not going to intimidate the proud and brave Iranians.

Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force General Qassem Soleimani responded to Trump’s tweet with his own version of GOT-inspired meme, saying ‘I Will Stand Against You’. The image was circulated widely and became viral. Soleimani is known for walking the talk and hawks in Washington know very well that he cannot be unsettled by such hollow bluster.

The fact that the sanctions have been timed a day before the mid-term elections in the U.S. explains how it is a political maneuver to garner votes. But the move is most likely to backfire and Trump will understand that later this week. He evil plots would be defeated by his own people before Iran does.

US-Zionist Threats Against Iran and Hizbullah

Editor

The threat of military force is usually effective only as long as it is not used. Once resorted to, the aggressor’s advantage in material superiority and preponderance of firepower become secondary to the outcome of the larger struggle. Examples abound.

The US learned this the hard way in Vietnam and Iraq, and is now being taught the same lesson in Afghanistan. Zionist Israel discovered the limits of firepower against Hizbullah in Lebanon in 2006. Given their repeated failures, why are the US and Zionist Israel now threatening Islamic Iran, a far more formidable power than those the twin evil regimes have confronted in the past? That old habits die hard is well recognized. Threats and bullying are what the imperialists and Zionists are used to. They are quick to resort to brute force against very weak opponents. After getting a bloody nose repeatedly, the Americans now indulge in economic warfare through sanctions and currency manipulations. Whenever they get an itch, the Zionists attack the two million besieged defenceless inhabitants of Gaza.

In view of the rising crescendo of war hysteria against Islamic Iran, let us consider what a possible war scenario would be. But first, we must mention what the Rahbar, Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei said last month. He dismissed the possibility of war while ruling out any talks with the US following Donald Trump’s offer, “There will be no war and I forbid any talks with the US.” The Rahbar’s rejection of talks with the US was based on sound reasoning: Uncle Sam is neither honest nor credible. Lying and cheating are part of his DNA.

Returning to the possibility of war let us suppose Israel and/or the US were to attack Hizbullah or Islamic Iran. Responding to Trump’s threats, General Qassem Soleimani, Commander of the Quds Force warned the US, “You can start a war but we will finish it.” Unlike the Americans and Zionists, Iranians do not make empty threats. Lest people forget, this month (September) marks the 38th anniversary of Iraq’s invasion of Islamic Iran. For eight years, Iran single handedly defended itself against the combined might of the Arabian regimes and their Western backers, as well as the Soviet Union. This epic defence is etched in the memory of every Iranian.

So what should we make of US-Zionist threats? Many Israelis, especially former military commanders among them General Ehud Barak, have admitted that Israel lost to Hizbullah in the 2006 war. Today, Hizbullah has a much larger arsenal of missiles — 130,000 according to most estimates — than it had in 2006. And in the best possible scenario, the Israeli Iron Dome would be able to intercept only 70% of missiles. If 30% of the missiles get through, that means some 39,000 missiles will rain down on Israel.

Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyid Hasan Nasrullah has warned that if Israel were to attack Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure as it did in 2006, Hizbullah would retaliate and hit Israeli cities. Imagine Hizbullah missiles hitting Tel Aviv, Haifa, or the illegal squatter colonies in the West Bank. There would be pandemonium. Last July after Israel bombed a Syrian military base, the latter retaliated by firing missiles into the Occupied Golan Heights with Zionist squatters scurrying into bomb shelters. Israel turned to Russia begging it to stop the Syrians promising not to attack their bases anymore!

Israel is extremely vulnerable. The Dimona nuclear plant and its chemical weapons factories in Haifa are within range of Hizbullah and Iranian missiles. Imagine a mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv or poison gas release over Haifa. Israel’s nuclear and chemical weapons have become millstones around its neck.

The Zionists are cowards. They attack weak opponents but are unable to take punishment. Both Israel and the US prefer short, sharp wars; destroy the opponent’s infrastructure and then call for a ceasefire. If the war lasts more than two weeks, they are in trouble. Hizbullah and Iran would not allow them to determine the duration of war, if the imperialists and Zionists blunder into launching one.

More than 90% of Israelis today have dual citizenship compared to only 35% in 2006. It shows they have no faith in their government or military. It is no fun having to scramble into bomb shelters, with disruption in electricity and water supplies as well as food shortages for weeks. When greener pastures are available elsewhere, why stay in a miserable ghetto like Israel.

Trump and Netanyahu, be careful; be very, very careful. Don’t even dream of attacking Iran or Hizbullah or you will wake up apologizing! But that will not save your thick hides.

 

Editor