Prof. John Mearsheimer: Trump doesn't want a war with Iran

Professor John Mearsheimer, a prominent thinker in international relations, said that US President Donald Trump does not want a war with Iran, explaining that Trump, despite the presence of hardliners in his administration, prefers to manage foreign issues such as the Iranian issue through economic pressure rather than military conflict, stressing that Trump seeks to end existing wars rather than start new ones.

The prominent international relations thinker and University of Chicago professor said in an interview: "The continuation of Israel's wars in the region is not in the national security interest of the United States. "Although there are hawkish figures in the Trump administration, he is not seeking war with Iran."

According to an ISNA report, since Donald Trump's second administration took power and the presence of anti-Iranian figures such as Marco Rubio as Secretary of State in Trump's cabinet, many questions have been raised about how Trump will deal or confront the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Trump, who unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal during his first term in 2018, is one of the main reasons behind the "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran and its people.

However, during his campaign, Trump always declared that he was "not the one who starts new wars" but "the one who ends existing ones." He also prevented the presence of more anti-Iranian figures such as John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, and Brian Hook in his cabinet. On the other hand, he prevented the presence of more anti-Iranian figures such as John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, and Brian Hook in his cabinet. However, experts argue that Trump's confrontations with these individuals were rooted in their personal criticisms of him.

John Mearsheimer, a prominent international relations thinker, professor at the University of Chicago, and one of the leading experts in the field of realism in international relations, provided insight into how Trump is dealing with Iran and the claims of the Zionist regime and its supporting leaders about the "weakness" of Iran.

"America's deep national interests lie in extinguishing Israel's wars and preventing a new one," Mearsheimer began. "Whether Biden or Trump, both should have acted in America's national interests, and Trump had a chance to stop the Gaza war."

The prominent international relations thinker, referring to the goals of the Zionist regime and its leaders, including Benjamin Netanyahu, the regime's prime minister, who has been pursuing the "dream of destroying Iran" since 1996, stated: "All the hardliners in America and Israel want to destroy Iran and its infrastructure, including its nuclear facilities. But Trump has emphasized that he does not seek a new war, and it is hard to imagine any desire he has to start a war against Iran. The truth is that he is in charge of the U.S. government and, in my opinion, would only enter into a war against Iran under very difficult circumstances. However, there is a real chance that Trump could prevent a war with Iran."

Referring to Trump's failed maximum pressure campaign against Iran, Mearsheimer added: "Trump will likely try to force Iran to accept his terms through economic pressure. "However, there is a lot of skepticism about the success of this policy, but this way, there won't be a war."

Hezbollah is an undeniable force

In response to a question about Iranian Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif's participation in the Davos Forum and his statements that Iran has not been weakened despite the blows it has suffered, the prominent international relations thinker confirmed the validity of Zarif's statements, saying: "In my opinion, as the Iranians have acknowledged, they have taken blows, but they have not been weakened. The fall of Bashar al-Assad's government was important for Iran. In the short term, Iran suffered losses because of Syria."

"But the role that Iran will play in Syria's future must be monitored. Except for this small victory (the fall of the Syrian government) in favor of Israel and its allies, Hezbollah is still alive and strong. Claims about the destruction of Hezbollah are false. Over the past decades, Israel has targeted the leaders of the Axis of Resistance, and they were quickly replaced."

"Hezbollah is an undeniable force and will remain so, and in the end it will regain its full strength again," Mearsheimer said. Hamas is also still alive and strong. In addition to these two groups, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) now have a strong and wide presence on the scene."

He concluded: "Therefore, the claim that Iran has been weakened by the blows to its allies in the region is false. Iran has suffered losses because of Syria, but it is not a serious matter."

Israel's attack did not seriously damage Iran's air defenses

Referring to claims by Zionists and their media about the "destruction of all Iranian air defenses by Israel," Mearsheimer stressed: "I don't believe the Israeli claims about destroying Iran's air defenses and opening the way for attacks on all infrastructure in Iran, including oil and nuclear facilities."

"In my opinion, Israel's attack did not seriously damage Iran's air defenses. Even if this claim is true, the destruction of Iran's nuclear facilities by Israel is impossible. They need the help of the Americans, and even with that help, the likelihood of their failure to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities is very high."

"Therefore, the belief that Iran is now a large and defenseless target that can be easily attacked is wrong. On the other hand, if I were Iran and my infrastructure was attacked by the Israelis and Americans, I would develop a nuclear bomb and destroy all the oil facilities in the region, to make the West realize that destroying the economy of Iran and Iranians will lead to the collapse of the entire global economy. Iran has strong cards to play."

"Therefore, a confrontation with Iran should not be pursued. The Israelis seek a confrontation with Iran, but they don't think about the consequences."

If I were the Iranians, I would build a nuclear weapon

In response to a question about the logic of Iran building a nuclear weapon for "nuclear deterrence," the prominent international relations thinker continued: "Everyone recognizes that the West, through its actions, is pushing Iran towards a nuclear weapon. The Israelis also secretly wish that Iran would do this, so that they have a pretext for a massive attack on Iran. A nuclear-armed Iran is a perfectly logical decision. Look at North Korea. Having a nuclear weapon is better than not having one."

"Of course, from the American point of view, Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. But from the Iranian point of view, having a nuclear weapon is a very justifiable and logical step. Over the past two decades, I have always said that if I were the Iranians, I would build a nuclear weapon, but Iran has not made the decision to build a nuclear weapon and has maintained its peaceful nuclear program."

The Saudi people support the cause of Palestine

He also referred to Israel's support for Trump's election campaign and their desire to "annex" the West Bank to the occupied territories, and the link between this demand and the Gaza ceasefire, saying: "In my opinion, the Gaza ceasefire has nothing to do with Israel's occupation of the West Bank. In my opinion, no agreement has been reached between Trump and the Israelis on this issue. The developments in Gaza are an open question. Trump played an important role in convincing Netanyahu to accept the ceasefire, but the dynamics and stability of this agreement remain uncertain."

"It is possible that in the long run Trump could reach an agreement with Netanyahu on the occupation of the Golan Heights or the West Bank to resolve the Gaza issue, but this has not happened so far," Mearsheimer said.

Mearsheimer touched on the potential normalization of relations between Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, and Israel, saying: "The main country to normalize relations with Israel is Saudi Arabia. Trump is demanding normalization of relations between Riyadh and Tel Aviv. Saudi officials have stated that they will not rush to normalize their relations with Tel Aviv before a definite solution to the Palestine issue and the conflict between the Palestinians and Israel is reached. But the kingdom's continued adherence to the formation of an independent Palestinian state is not clear."

"It is clear that the Saudi elites do not pay attention to the issue of Palestine and the Palestinians. "If a good deal is reached, they will bypass the Palestinians, but the main issue for Saudi elites is internal pressure and the desire of Saudi citizens and other Arab countries to establish an independent Palestinian state and their support for the Palestinian cause."

"But in Trump and Netanyahu's view, they can use this opportunity to their advantage, and by falsely promising an independent Palestinian state in the future, they can reach an agreement with Saudi Arabia. But even if relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel are normalized, this will not solve the current issues around Hamas, Hezbollah, the West Bank, Syria or Iran."

He also referred to Trump's "illogical" request to take over Panama, saying: "In Trump's mind, taking over Panama doesn't require military action. Although the logic behind his arguments for taking over Panama are all nonsense, he could easily do it."