Amid deep disappointment in Iran over the decision by US President Donald Trump to freeze assistance to protesters and halt military action against the Iranian regime, Arutz Sheva spoke with Dr. Thamar Eilam-Gindin, an expert on Iran from the Ezri Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies at the University of Haifa.
At the outset of the interview, Dr. Eilam-Gindin questioned what practical benefit a belated US strike would bring. For the estimated 12,000 to 30,000 Iranians killed by regime forces, and for their families-many of whom do not even know where their loved ones are buried-such a move, she said, would come far too late to make a difference.
To illustrate her argument, Dr. Eilam-Gindin traced the sequence of events and highlighted the close connection between President Trump’s statements and the willingness of Iranian citizens to take to the streets and pay a heavy price. “The protests began on December 28. On the Friday of that week, Trump said he would not repeat what he described as Obama’s historic mistake, when protesters relied on US support that never came and 200 people were killed. He said he would not repeat that mistake, that he supported the protesters, and that if the regime began killing, he would intervene. The next morning, he demonstrated that he was capable of acting. With that tailwind, the Iranian people went out into the streets." (Read More)
