The CIA has appointed Michael D’Andrea, who is colloquially known as “Ayatollah Mike,” as the new chief of their anti-Iran operations. D’Andrea had previously participated in the hunt for bin Laden, was said to be heavily involved in the CIA’s torture program against al-Qaeda detainees, and then oversaw the CIA drone war worldwide, with its huge death toll of both civilians and “suspects.”
As someone who oversaw torture and widespread killing by CIA forces, and is seen as a particularly aggressive figure, D’Andrea’s appointment to the Irann post is seen as a sign that the Trump Administration is taking a “hard line” toward Iran.
Exactly what a hard line toward Iran means, in the midst of repeated international confirmations that Iran is complying with its requirements under the P5+1 nuclear deal, is not clear, though Trump has repeatedly expressed opposition to the P5+1 deal, and may still be looking for an out.
Drones and torture don’t appear to necessarily fit neatly into the current US policy toward Iran, which is largely to condemn them internationally and sell large amounts off weapons to Saudi Arabia to use against Shi’ites elsewhere in the region.
Provoking Iran with drones and CIA revolutions would be a disaster.
There are many Iranian cells in America ready to act on command if and only if America attacks Iran. Maybe that’s what the government’s controllers want, large-scale attacks in the US to bring martial law.
What you call Iranian cells in America is the former Iranian crowd which had to flee Iran after the Shah was kicked out. Many of them are former Savak people – who tortured and murdered Iranians.
What about all the American “cells” all over the globe actually destabilizing and destroying other nations? That’s OK right? The USA accuses Iran of doing what it does on a constant basis and in a far greater degree! Hypocrisy! I look forward to the day when the civilian leadership of the USA military gets prosecuted for war crimes. In fact, the government of the USA is a foreign entity which does not now or ever has represented the American people! Iran is targeted for allegedly doing what Israel and the USA do in a ho-hum manner. It’s time for the world to stand up to the imperial designs of the USA and Israel and resume war crimes trials in Nuremberg!
Trumps speech in Saudi Arabia was a declaration of war against Iran.
Covert wars are a two way street. It’s been about 40yrs since we had to deal with a country that could seriously reciprocate and we have gone mad with power. It’s only a matter of time before this bites us in the ass.