US court ruling meant to derail Iran nuclear deal: Expert

Press TV has interviewed James Petras, a Middle East expert in New York, to discuss a ruling by the US Supreme Court granting about two billion dollars in frozen Iranian assets to the families of victims of a 1983 bombing in Beirut.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Reactions keep coming in from officials, the president now from Iran has relayed his sentiments on this court ruling, Iran has attributed to politics interfering in the legal justice system. What is your reaction to this ruling and why do you think they have given two billion dollars of Iran’s money to these victims?  

Petras: This is a totally unlawful activity. There is no evidence; there is no judicial process; there is no independent organization. This is clearly an effort to derail the agreement that was reached last year on the nuclear program and it is clearly the case that politics is involved.

However, it is not so much the politics of the Judiciary Department per se, one of the powerful pro-Israel lobby that has representatives for example in the Treasury Department, Treasury Department in two particular dimensions. You have the case of Daniel Glaser who is a Zionist, who is head of the Department of Treasury, you have over the previous years, Adam Szubin who is another Zionist who are acting on behalf of Israel and doing everything possible to undermine any financial arrangements between Iran and the banking system.

And in that case it is very clear that Washington may formally claim that they have lifted sanctions but in practice they are violating and intimidating the banks and Iran-mongering to undermine any financial links between Western world and Iran. In that particular circumstances [Leader of the Islamic Revolution] Ayatollah [Seyyed] Ali Khamenei has said very clearly that the US is violating the agreement that it reached last year.

Press TV: The Leader is making a statement to that effect saying that on paper the US says sanctions are lifted but it is spreading Iranophobia, through fear-mongering, and also in some cases coming from the EU that they are hostage to some of US banking regulations, that Iran cannot do business and banks from outside cannot do business with Iran.

Petras: It is very clear when Obama travels to Saudi Arabia, when the US government is working hand in glove with Israel, that these are very connected with the policies of hostility to Iran. Washington’s agreements with Saudi Arabia have a lot to do with the attempts to undermine Iran’s ties with the Western world and particularly the economic world.

It is the same that goes with US relations with Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s relations with the Treasury Department and with the policies attacking Iran. So this is a continuation of the previous policies. Washington has chosen to work with Iran and Israel against any agreement of any consequence with the Iranian government.

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