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. 



Kremlin Foreign Policy Aide Says Several Countries Have Already Offered to Host Putin-Trump Talks

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump talk during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
Russia's President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump talk during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
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Kremlin Foreign Policy Aide Says Several Countries Have Already Offered to Host Putin-Trump Talks

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump talk during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
Russia's President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump talk during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov said on Monday that several countries had already offered to host talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President-elect Donald Trump, though he declined to say which.

Trump has said he wants to swiftly end the war in Ukraine, though he has yet to set out publicly how he plans to do so, according to Reuters.

Putin said on Thursday that he was ready to compromise over Ukraine in possible talks with Trump and had no conditions for starting talks with the Ukrainian authorities.

But Putin said any talks should take as their starting point a preliminary agreement reached between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in the early weeks of the war at talks in Istanbul, which was never implemented.

Many Ukrainian politicians regard that draft deal as akin to a capitulation which would have neutered Ukraine's military and political ambitions and say they do not believe Putin is ready to strike a deal that would be acceptable for Kyiv too.