Dr. Al-Arian Evaluated Trump’s Iran Policy on TRT World

Dr. Sami Al-Arian, Director of the Center for the Islamic World and Global Relations Application and Research (CIGA), evaluated U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies toward Iran on TRT World. Stating that Trump’s decision was the result of a failed strategy rather than a cautious foreign policy choice, Dr. Al-Arian remarked, “Trump did not step back on Iran because he was cautious; he stepped back because his strategy failed.” Al-Arian noted that following its experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States aimed to pursue regime change in Iran without the direct use of military force.

Dr. Al-Arian stated that the United States initially attempted initiatives targeting the Iranian administration, and subsequently shifted to an economic warfare strategy through sanctions, pressure on the national currency, and the encouragement of internal unrest. He emphasized that the Iranian government’s ability to largely neutralize these measures led to the collapse of the plan. Stressing that the primary objective of Washington and Tel Aviv was not the complete overthrow of the regime, Al-Arian conveyed that these actors sought a compliant administration aligned with goals such as “halting uranium enrichment, restricting Iran’s missile program, and cutting support for resistance movements in Palestine and Lebanon."

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