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Iranians Beginning To Panic, Say Trump's Playing Mind Games with Them

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Iran is getting pretty freaked out about the Trump administration. Now, one of the country’s top officials says that the United States is engaged in mind games by pulling out of the Iran deal and possibly jeopardizing the Islamic Republic’s financial future.

And just think, two years ago they had Barack Obama licking their boots.

In an interview with Reuters on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the United States is engaged in “psychological warfare” with Iran.

“(America’s) focus is on a psychological war against Iran and its business partners,” he said.

But he tried to sound defiant.

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“From the time that Trump announced the withdrawal from the nuclear deal, America has not been able to reach its goals,” he added.

However aggressive the country may be, things are not terribly great for Iran right now, as Reuters pointed out.

“Iran’s parliament sacked the minister of economic affairs and finance on Sunday, state media said, amid a sharp fall in the rial currency and a deterioration in the economic situation,” Reuters noted.

“The Iranian economy is dogged by high unemployment and the rial has lost half its value since April. The United States reimposed some sanctions in early August and a second set targeting Iran’s oil industry is due to take effect in November.”

Do you think Trump is destabilizing Iran?

It isn’t just the Trump administration’s decision to pull out of the Iran deal that’s been ailing Tehran, mind you.

Since December, well before that decision, the mullahs’ regime has been subject to sporadic protests due to the deteriorating economic situation there.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani — mostly a figurehead when it comes to foreign affairs but who wields considerable power internally — has become increasingly hardline when it comes to the United States, although he has previously positioned himself as a pragmatist.

Earlier in the summer, Rouhani seemed to threaten the United States with war.

“Mr. Trump, don’t play with the lion’s tail, this would only lead to regret,” Rouhani said.

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“America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars.”

“You are not in a position to incite the Iranian nation against Iran’s security and interests,” he added, apparently referring to the administration’s attempts at Iranian destabilization.

Considering Zarif seemed to be making a move against Rouhani in the Reuters interview, the president wasn’t exactly right on that one.

“There are some in the country who, instead of laying the groundwork for using the opportunities presented by the nuclear deal, chose a political fight,” Zarif said. “And this political fight led to despair and disappointment.”

It will continue to do so until Iran agrees to a real dismantling of its nuclear program, but it’s goood to see this is having its intended effect.

Sorry, guys. The Obama era is definitely over.

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C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014.
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014. Aside from politics, he enjoys spending time with his wife, literature (especially British comic novels and modern Japanese lit), indie rock, coffee, Formula One and football (of both American and world varieties).
Birthplace
Morristown, New Jersey
Education
Catholic University of America
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Topics of Expertise
American Politics, World Politics, Culture




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