Jackass: Khamenei’s anti-Pindosi remarks ‘disturbing’
Tamar Pileggi, Times of Israel, Jul 21 2015
Jackass in Vienna, Jul 14 (Photo: Carlos Barria/AP)
Jackass Kerry called recent anti-Pindosi remarks made by Iran’s supreme leader “disturbing” and reaffirmed Pindo support of its allies command of its vassals in the Middle East who have been pushing back against Tehran’s military ambitions. Discussing a speech made by Khamenei four days after the nuclear deal, Jackass told al-Arabiya that he took the anti-Pindo remarks at face value. He said in the interview, published Tuesday:
I do know that often comments are made publicly and things can evolve that are different. If that is the policy, it’s very disturbing, it’s very troubling, and we’ll have to wait and see.
In an address to the Iranian nation, Khamenei vowed that the nuclear agreement would not change Iran’s policy against the “arrogant Pindosi government.” Nor would it change the Islamic Republic’s policy of supporting its “friends” (sic – RB) in the region. During the televised speech, he hailed the Iranian masses for demanding the destruction of USrael and said he hoped that God would answer their prayers. Jackass is scheduled to travel to the Middle East early next month. He said:
During my visit, I will explain to the Gulf leaders all of the ways in which this agreement in fact makes the Gulf states and the region safer. I will also discuss with them at great length the things that Pindostan is going to do, working with them, in order to push back against the terror and counter-terrorism efforts and other activities in the region that are very alarming to them (sic – RB).
Despite the harsh criticism of the deal by several Pindosi-aligned countries in the Middle East, foremost among them Israel and Saudi Arabia, Jackass asserted that Pindostan’s support for its regional allies command of its regional vassals remained unchanged. Gulf leaders have expressed concern that the $100b in revenue which will be made available to Iran after economic sanctions are lifted will be used to finance its regional interests via proxy militant groups. But, said Jackass:
Curbing Iran’s nuclear program is an important first step in reining in its military ambitions. You have to begin somewhere. We have begun at the most critical place vis-a-vis Israel, the region, and the potential of the nuclear arms race with a nuclear weapon, but we have not for an instant stopped focusing on counter-terrorism, on the nefarious activities, particularly proxies. We are very attentive to guaranteeing the security of the region. We are not kidding when we talk about the importance of pushing back against extremism, against support for terrorism and proxies who are destabilizing other countries. It’s unacceptable. But even if Iran uses that money to bolster its military, that isn’t necessarily any cause for alarm. Iran’s current military budget is $15b/yr, vs the collective Gulf military budget of some $130b/yr. If the Arab states can organize themselves effectively, their untapped potential will be sufficient to push back against any Iranian military offensive. And while the deal doesn’t protect Gulf states from conventional weapons, I am confident that a very different set of arrangements can be reached which will ensure the safety of the region. Obviously we have to end all of these proxy initiatives, and there are ways to do that.
When asked if he felt the deal guaranteed Iran would not pursue nuclear weapons in the future, Jackass said:
Iran has said it won’t, but again it’s not words that matter, it’s not a statement, it’s acts, it’s actions that you have to measure, and what I do know is that there are very specific inspection and accountability measures that are part of the agreement forever, not for 15 years or 20 years, but forever.
Niqnaq 