Aftandilian in The Arab Weekly on Trump’s Hard Line on Iran
Gregory Aftandilian, Lecturer at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published a recent Op-Ed on United States President Donald Trump’s hard-line stance against Iran following the re-election of Hassan Rohani as Iran’s president.
Aftandilian’s Op-Ed, entitled “Trump to Maintain Hard-Line Position Against Iran,” was published in The Arab Weekly on May 28, 2017.
From the text of the Op-Ed:
The re-election of Hassan Rohani as Iran’s president has done little to change US President Donald Trump’s views towards Tehran.
Rohani’s impressive re-election — he won about 57% of the vote — might have given US officials an opportunity for a possible reset with Iran, especially given that Rohani campaigned on the need for Iran to continue to improve relations with the rest of the world.
The Trump administration, however, seems keen on rolling back Iran’s influence in the Middle East and working with its Arab allies to confront Iranian activities.
Trump did not comment on Rohani’s re-election. Instead, he used the occasion of his May 21 speech in Riyadh — the day after Tehran announced the election results — to denounce Iran’s policies in the region. “From Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen,” Trump said, “Iran funds, arms and trains terrorists, militia and other extremist groups that spread destruction and chaos across the region.”
Trump seemed to preclude any rapprochement with Iran as long as its theocratic regime remains in power, saying: “Until the Iranian regime is willing to be a partner for peace, all nations of conscience must work together to isolate Iran, deny it funding for terrorism and pray for the day when the Iranian people have the just and righteous government they deserve.”
Aftandilian spent over 21 years in government service, most recently on Capitol Hill where he was foreign policy adviser to Congressman Chris Van Hollen (2007-2008), professional staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and foreign policy adviser to Senator Paul Sarbanes (2000-2004), and foreign policy fellow to the late Senator Edward Kennedy (1999).