US Offering Talks While ‘Holding a Gun’ at Iran: Official

Iran believes US dishonestly offering talks to fool the public

With the US having spent much of the past two weeks threatening an imminent war against Iran, there have been constant mentions from officials that the US also wants talks with Iran. President Trump in particular has emphasized that he wants Iran to “call him.”

Iranian political deputy Rasoul Sanai-Rad, in the semi-official Iranian press, said what the US is doing “is like holding a gun at someone and asking for friendship and negotiations,” adding that Iran believes the US is dishonest in the offer.

Sanai-Rad called it “a political game” by the US, who is constantly engaged in threats and pressure while feigning their interest in negotiations “to present a peaceful image of themselves and fool public opinion.”

It’s not clear that many people are being fooled internationally, however, with nations that want a US war looking to add fuel to the fire, and most US allies trying to distance themselves from the US before the fighting starts.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.