Iran Pursuing 'Concrete Goals' in Bilateral Ties with Russia: US Analyst

“It reminds me of (Ayatollah) Javadi Amoli's visit to Mikhail Gorbachev at the behest of Ayatollah Khomeini. (Ayatollah) Khomeini urged Gorbachev to read philosophers like Plato in order to prepare a better defense for Russia against the Western powers. Now it looks as if Iran has more concrete goals in mind,” E. Michael Jones, a political analyst in the US state of Indiana, told the Tasnim News Agency.

Eugene Michael Jones is an American writer, former professor, media commentator and the current editor of Culture Wars magazine.

Following is the full text of the interview.

Tasnim: Dr. Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on international affairs, is currently on a "very important" visit to Moscow to deliver a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin. What do you think about this visit?

Jones: It reminds me of (Ayatollah) Javadi Amoli's visit to Mikhail Gorbachev at the behest of Ayatollah Khomeini. (Ayatollah) Khomeini urged Gorbachev to read philosophers like Plato in order to prepare a better defense for Russia against the Western powers. Now it looks as if Iran has more concrete goals in mind.

Tasnim: Experts believe that the trip by the senior official indicates that the Islamic Republic of Iran is seeking to open a new chapter in its “strategic ties” with Russia and other eastern nations after Washington’s pullout from the 2015 nuclear deal. What is your take on the notion of strategic cooperation with Russia?

Jones: World history has reached a critical juncture with the election of Donald Trump. As of this writing, Trump is meeting with the US-NATO partners to discuss the future. America has never been in a weaker position geopolitically, but Trump is now making demands that could mean the end of NATO. I'm talking about his demand that Germany discontinue the Nordstream pipeline with Russia. If Germany goes along with this demand, Russia will need to strengthen ties with other countries in the Eurasian landmass, which will be to Iran's advantage. If Germany refuses to capitulate to America's demands, Iran will also benefit because Germany will need closer ties to the countries of the Eurasian landmass. Either way, Trump is bringing about the unification of the Eurasian landmass against the island nations which Halfor Mackinder warned against over a century ago.

Tasnim: Do you believe that Russia, Iran and China should form a united front against US hegemony? If yes, how?

Jones: Yes, the first step would be honoring the terms of the JCPOA. That would mean opposing the sanctions which the US plans to impose this coming November. Sooner or later, Russia, China, and Iran are going to have to break out of the instruments of financial control, like the SWIFT banking system, which enable the imposition of economic sanctions. England had to divide the Eurasian landmass because only then could it use the British navy to blockade the ports of intransigent countries. This is what Winston Churchill did after Germany signed the armistice ending World War I and it led to the death of almost a million Germans by starvation. The unification of the Eurasian landmass in combination with initiatives like the Chinese one-belt one-road project would allow the creation of an economic zone which could not be blockaded into submission, thereby allowing economic autonomy from the American-dominated international banking system.

Tasnim: As you know, this year’s NATO meeting comes ahead of Trump’s direct meeting with Putin in Helsinki, Finland, on Monday. What do you think about this meeting?

Jones: Trump is making extreme demands from fellow NATO members at a time when Russia is no longer a threat. This spells disaster for Trump's foreign policy. The more extreme Trump's demands get, the more likely the Europeans are to get out of NATO because it provides no real benefit anymore. Refusal to go along with Trump on the JCPOA could be a first step in this direction.