FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ryan Costello
Phone: 202-386-6325
Email: [email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Trita Parsi, President of the National Iranian American Council and author of Losing an Enemy – Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy, issued the following statement after President Trump addressed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) during their speeches before the UN General Assembly:

“If Trump was determined to demonstrate to the world that he is unhinged and an imminent danger to world peace, he has succeeded with this speech, and will only make it harder for him to win over the world to his self-destructive goals.

“There was a remarkable tone deafness in Trump’s outreach to the Iranian people. After having imposed on them a Muslim ban, despite the fact that no Iranian national has committed a lethal act of terror in the US, after declaring that Iranians only have themselves to blame when ISIS struck Tehran with terror, and after undermining and threatening to kill the nuclear deal that the Iranian people overwhelmingly support, Trump shockingly believes he can position himself as a friend of ordinary Iranians. But actions speak louder than words, and in all of his acts, he has shown deep animosity towards the people of Iran.

“Contrary to their government, Iranians are known to be one of the most pro-American populations in the Middle East. Through his policies, however, Trump has and continues to do great damage to that reservoir of goodwill towards America. His address at the UN only revealed that he is painfully unaware or arrogantly indifferent to how he is being perceived.

“If Trump was interested in genuine outreach to the people of Iran, he would end his bigoted Muslim ban and help promote people-to-people contacts, he would respect and honor the nuclear deal, and he would seek to resolve remaining tensions between the US and Iran through peaceful diplomacy. This would also be the most effective way of advancing American interest and security.

“Instead, Trump has chosen hollow expressions of solidarity while he lumps Iran into the same category of “wicked” states as North Korea, which he threatened to completely destroy. This speech will not strike fear into the hearts of Iranian leaders. If anything, they will find it easier to rally the Iranian people behind their government.

“If Trump continues on his path, he will only succeed in undermining any remaining goodwill in Iran, repeating the mistakes of the Iraq war with Iran and devastating American security.”   

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