High-ranking US officials, particularly those dealing exclusively with domestic politics, are sometimes "incompetent" when it comes to foreign affairs, Iran Press Editor-in-Chief noted, saying that their statements on global issues often "have no logic."
Trump Military Adviser, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, wants #Khomeini of #Iran, who died in 1989, to condemn #NiceAttack. pic.twitter.com/aTdq60Tydr
— Live From Mogadishu (@Daudoo) 17 июля 2016 г.
Abshenas was referring to a recent comment made by retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, who currently serves as an adviser on national security to Donald Trump.
"I want the President of Egypt, I want the King of Saudi Arabia, I want the Imam, or I want Khomeini in Iran to stand up and be counted," Flynn told Megyn Kelly, commenting on the deadly truck attack in the French city of Nice. "I want them to be counted tonight and to talk about this radical form of this ideology in their bloodstream, in their DNA."
It could have been a slip of the tongue, but Flynn, who has considerable experience in national security, urged Khomeini to denounce the terrorist attack that claimed 85 lives again the next day. Needless to say, these remarks sparked ridicule on social media, with one Twitter user saying that this "might be tricky as [Khomeini] died 27 years ago."
Advisor to Trump Lt. General Michael Flynn called for Ayatollah Khomeini to condemn the Nice attack. Might be tricky as he died 27 years ago
— Conor Collins (@conartworks) 16 июля 2016 г.
General Michael Flynn military advisers to #Trump, called for Ayatollah Khomeini, who died in 1989, to condemn #NiceAttack
— Farshad Kashani (@FarKashani) 16 июля 2016 г.
Flynn was an intellegence official during the Iraq War—youd think the fact that Khomeini was dead would have come up https://t.co/C9H6s2u2wC
— Avi Asher-Schapiro (@AASchapiro) 15 июля 2016 г.
Twitter user Bristola called Flynn's remarks a "special kind of Trump stupid."
@barnabas1998 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran's supreme leader, died in 1989. Gen Flynn led our military. A special kind of Trump stupid
— Bristola (@barnabas1998) 15 июля 2016 г.
Abshenas pointed out that this incident is part of a larger picture.
"This is one of many cases of US officials making inept and ludicrous statements," he said. "For instance, they often mix up Iran and Iraq."
This is also true of Iran's two supreme leaders. "The Americans still refer to late Ruhollah Khomeini, who passed away three decades ago, as the current supreme leader, when it is in fact Ayatollah Ali Khamenei," he added.
The analyst further noted that Iran has been at the forefront of the anti-Daesh fight.
"Iran and its allies in Syria, Iraq and other countries have waged an unprecedented war aimed at destroying these terrorists. Meanwhile, US allies have provided assistance and funds to the group," he observed.
