US Homeland Security Adviser Says Trump Backs Demands of Iranian People

United States Homeland Security Adviser to President Donald Trump Tom Bossert. AP photo
United States Homeland Security Adviser to President Donald Trump Tom Bossert. AP photo
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US Homeland Security Adviser Says Trump Backs Demands of Iranian People

United States Homeland Security Adviser to President Donald Trump Tom Bossert. AP photo
United States Homeland Security Adviser to President Donald Trump Tom Bossert. AP photo

US Homeland Security Adviser to President Donald Trump Tom Bossert said on Thursday that Washington’s commander in chief is in full support of the demands made by the Iranian people against wasting national funds on an agenda focused on destabilizing the region.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Bossert confirmed that Iran’s behavior spurs deep concerns and destabilizes the region. He called on Tehran to stop supporting terrorism and wasting its money on destabilizing activities in other countries rather than paying attention to its citizens.

On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Bosset said that the Iranian people have taken to the streets against Tehran’s policies, and that Trump is siding with the people not the regime.

In another context, Bossert said in a press conference that he held meetings with officials from the Middle East and the West, and discussed the Turkish military operations in northwestern Syria.

Trump's homeland security adviser suggested that Turkish troops "remove themselves" from Afrin, saying Ankara "ought to be mindful of the potential for escalation” as its troops move into Syria and Afrin.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to send Turkish troops further east along the Syrian side of the Turkish border, targeting Kurdish-held areas where US personnel are stationed.

It would be a "terrible outcome" if Turkish troops clashed with "the proxy forces that we have all been relying on to defeat ISIS, especially if there are US advisers in the region," Bossert said.

"There could be grave consequences to any miscalculation and escalation," AP cited the White House staffer as saying. 



Khamenei: Iran Doesn’t Have Proxies in the Region

Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei meets a group of elegists and eulogists in Tehran
Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei meets a group of elegists and eulogists in Tehran
TT

Khamenei: Iran Doesn’t Have Proxies in the Region

Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei meets a group of elegists and eulogists in Tehran
Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei meets a group of elegists and eulogists in Tehran

Iran’s supreme leader denied Sunday that militant groups around the region functioned as Tehran’s proxies, warning that if his country chose to “take action,” it would not need them anyway.
Ali Khamenei told a group of elegists and eulogists in Tehran, “They keep saying that the Islamic Republic has lost its proxy forces in the region! This is another mistake. If one day we want to take action, we do not need a proxy force,” according to his website.
Khamenei then attacked the United States and its ally Israel over developments in Syria, and hinted at internal criticism of Iran's regional role.
“Their plans in Syria led to unrest and chaos, and now the United States, the Zionist regime, and their allies, feeling victorious, have resorted to extravagant claims and nonsensical talk, like the followers of devil,” he said.
The Iranian leader then quoted an American official as saying that Washington will “provide assistance and support to anyone causing unrest in Iran.”
Such statements, he said, are an example of the enemies’ boastful rhetoric. “The Iranian nation with their strong steps will trample underfoot any US mercenary who accepts this role,” he added.
Khamenei then addressed the Israelis saying, “You Zionists haven’t won; you’ve been defeated. Yes, you were able to advance a few kilometers in Syria where there wasn't even one soldier with a gun to stop you. That’s not victory. Indeed, the courageous, devout, young people of Syria will definitely expel you from there.”
He added, “You wretched people! Where have you won? Have you won in Gaza? Have you destroyed Hamas? Have you freed your own prisoners? Is this victory to kill over 40,000 people without being able to achieve even one of your goals? Despite killing Hassan Nasrallah, have you managed to eliminate Hezbollah in Lebanon?”
Khamenei also affirmed that Iran has not lost its proxies in the region.
“Iran doesn’t have proxy forces. Yemen fights due to their faith. Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad fight because their beliefs compel them to do so,” he said.
IRGC commander Hossein Salami, five days after Assad's fall, had denied that Iran had lost its regional arms. “Some suggest the Iranian regime has lost its arms, but this is not true. The regime still has its arms,” he said.