Trump’s neo-con turn on Iran

On Saturday, conscionable nether 2 weeks into the protests that are present sweeping Iran, United States President Donald Trump took to his societal media level of prime to station a message of support: “Iran is looking astatine FREEDOM, possibly similar ne'er before. The USA stands acceptable to help!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

As usual, Trump’s random capitalisation strategy and excessive usage of exclamation points would amended befit an simple schoolchild than the person of the planetary superpower. But the committedness of American assistance is besides problematic successful acold much important ways.

For starters, “help” is not precisely a specialty of the US – and peculiarly not nether the guidance of the antheral who bombed Iran conscionable past summer, close aft returning to powerfulness connected a pledge to support the US retired of overseas wars.

Trump is moreover liable for maintaining a crippling sanctions regime against the Islamic Republic, thereby fuelling the precocious ostentation that triggered the contiguous protests successful the archetypal place. As is par for the people successful specified forms of economical warfare, the nonelite of Iran person paid the highest price.

In summation to constituting a departure from his full “America First” premise, Trump’s caller connection of “help” to the Iranians marks a displacement successful statesmanlike rhetoric vis-a-vis the much-maligned country. Previously, the Trumpian sermon chiefly targeted Iran’s alleged pursuit of atomic weapons and ballistic missiles equipped with chemic and biologic warheads – each of which were marketed arsenic a unsafe menace not lone to the US but besides to America’s BFF and existent determination partner successful genocide, the authorities of Israel.

Now, however, Trump is successful “rescue” mode, warning this period that “if Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America volition travel to their rescue.”

On Tuesday, Trump assured Iranian protesters that “help is connected the way” without elaborating arsenic to what this mightiness dwell of. Right-wing US media person pitched successful with specified encouraging headlines arsenic “Trump has historical accidental to assistance topple Iran’s America-hating regime.”

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has chimed successful with the affirmation that Israel supports the Iranian protesters’ “struggle for state and firmly condemns the wide killings of guiltless civilians” – rather the connection from idiosyncratic who has been presiding implicit the genocide of Palestinians for much than 2 years.

With his caller promises of assistance, 1 can’t assistance but wonderment if Trump isn’t taking a leafage from the aged playbook of erstwhile US President George W Bush, the ex-“war connected terror” main and the look of an medication that was dedicated to propagating the precise neo-conservative ideology to which Trump has agelong ostensibly been truthful vehemently opposed.

In essence, the neo-con nonsubjective is to wreak subject havoc passim the satellite utilizing ideology promotion and different superficially bully ideas arsenic an excuse for deadly imperial expansion. And portion Trump successfully wooed galore US voters with his alleged committedness to abandoning specified pursuits successful far-off lands successful favour of full self-absorption and “making America large again”, it seems the neo-conservative impulse is hard to kick.

To beryllium sure, Trump’s presidency recalls Bush’s successful much ways than one. Both men person clownish demeanours – not to notation an intriguing narration with English grammar and spelling – that would beryllium wholly amusing if not for the extended bloodshed implicit which they person respectively presided.

Likewise, some men person proven disproportionately anxious to invoke God arsenic an state successful their destructive endeavours.

Despite Trump’s professed absorption to the argumentation of authorities alteration and the Bush-era interventions successful Iraq and Afghanistan – portion of a “war connected terror” that yet near millions of radical dead – helium has successful his archetypal twelvemonth backmost successful bureau managed to weaponry an assortment of nations arsenic good arsenic kidnap the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro.

Florida Congressman Randy Fine, who has conscionable introduced a bill that would licence Trump to annex Greenland, has besides taken to X to propose that “Maybe we should Maduro Khamenei.” In this case, “Khamenei” refers to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei portion “Maduro” functions arsenic a brand-new verb for abducting the person of a sovereign state.

But arsenic Trump present promises that the US is “ready to help!!!” Iran, it’s worthy reasoning backmost connected different instances of American “help!!!” successful the state – similar that clip successful 1953 that the CIA engineered a coup d’etat against democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, which acceptable the signifier for the agelong reign of the torture-happy shah of Iran, who was yet overthrown by the Iranian Revolution successful 1979.

The precocious shah’s son, it truthful happens, is present conveniently agitating for US involution from his presumption of gilded exile extracurricular Washington, DC.

Meanwhile, Trump whitethorn person caught connected to the perks of “helping” radical successful different countries arsenic a means of distracting from definite antidemocratic realities astatine location – among them that the US has been converted into a full-fledged constabulary state wherever migration agents consciousness escaped to execution US citizens astatine will.

And arsenic Trump continues semi-channeling Bush, beauteous overmuch the past happening Iranians request is for the US to “come to their rescue”.

The views expressed successful this nonfiction are the author’s ain and bash not needfully bespeak Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.