© Andrew Kelly / ReutersGet a grip, not shoot from the hip!
the Russian envoy to the UN told RT, adding that the
current rhetoric appears to be an emotional response to reality.Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, spoke to RT's Alexey Yaroshevsky ahead of the planned meeting between the newly-confirmed US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Commenting on
recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who
branded Iran terrorist threat No.1, Churkin pointed to the
active role the Islamic Republic is playing in the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). With Russia having close relations with Iran, while US-Iranian relations are increasingly strained, Churkin acknowledged that
Washington and Moscow "have differences in a number of areas, including on the role of Iran."With that, Churkin believes that some of the recent US rhetoric on Iran might have been influenced by
emotions rather than rational policy-making and cold, hard facts. "In international life, you have to differentiate between your emotions, what you want to see and what you have the right to expect from another country," he said.
"This outcry about Iran's ballistic missile launches. I was surprised to hear even American experts speaking on CNN and
calling it a violation of bans by the UN Security Council. Those bans were there before,
all those bans were lifted," Churkin said. The
UNSC resolution only "calls" on Iran not to conduct tests of ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons but does not impose any ban, he explained. Moreover, any such
capability has to be proven before accusations are voiced, he argued.
Comment: Recalibrating the relationship with a media out of control was a risk worth taking...not only for the president and his administration, but for the American public as well. Hindsight will prove this a necessary course-correction. Unfortunately, it may be a long hindsight for those who delude themselves that they are serving the public by dishing up bias, innuendo and manipulation towards a particular agenda.