Sec. of State John Kerry came under fire for another ill-prepared, off-the-cuff comment he made Sunday, suggesting Iran could play a vital role in peace talks with Syria.
His comments come at a time when terrorists threaten to destabilize Iraq and the Obama administration s drawing criticism for making a speedy withdrawal from the country, essentially undoing all the U.S. spent nearly a trillion dollars and spilled blood to accomplish.
Kerry admitted that terrorists are behind the unrest across Iraq and Syria, but many critics are pointing out that — according to his own department — Iran is largely responsible. Adding to the irony, the month of January marks the 30th year Iran has been on the State Department’s list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, second only to Syria, a state on that list longer than any other.
It is established that Iran sponsored terrorists that killed U.S. troops during the Iraq War, and Tehran’s long track record of aiding the Assad regime in Syria has destabilized the region for decades.
Speaking Sunday in Jerusalem, Secretary John Kerry made comments that were contradictory, claiming the country “could participate very easily” if they were to agree that Assad must be replaced by a transitional government, which critics say is a fantasy. “If Iran doesn’t support that, it’s very difficult to see how they’re going to be ‘a ministerial partner’ in the process,” he said.
“You have a forest fire that’s raging and you’re calling in some of the arsonists … to discuss the best way to put it out. It’s mind-numbing,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, who is the associate dean of the Jewish human rights group, the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
“Now, could they contribute from the sidelines? Are there ways for them conceivably to weigh in? Can their mission that is already in Geneva be there in order to help the process?” Kerry said. “It may be that there are ways that that could happen. But that has to be determined by the secretary general and it has to be determined by Iranian intentions themselves.”
“It’s Iranians who kept Assad in his seat and still breathing through Hezbollah and other means,” Sawsan Jabri told FoxNews.com, a spokesman for the the anti-Assad, U.S.-based Syrian Expatriates Organization. “If they’re coming in, they’ve got Assad’s back.”
Rabbi Cooper agrees with Jabri, saying any U.S. push to bring Iran into the fold during the talks would make Syrian President Bashar Assad “the happiest person in the room.”
Another party involved in the talks must be thrilled to here Kerry’s Iran comments — Russia. Putin pushed for Iran to be involved in the peace talks from the beginning, with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stating Iran should be invited to the Geneva, Switzerland, when the second round of negotiations start on Jan. 22.
Cooper says that would be a disaster for the Iran talks, by giving the regime a “piece of leverage” in the nuclear negotiations.
In an attempt to back-step, U.S. officials said Monday that it was “less likely than likely” Iran would play a role in Geneva, but then suggested Iran could help itself by forcing Damascus to stop bombarding civilians in Aleppo.
Meanwhile, diplomats have been ironing out the details of a firm Iran deal, during which the Obama administration is attempting to prevent Congress — even members of his own party — from passing a new round of sanctions that administration officials say will derail the Iran nuclear agreement.
