Washington's attempts to silence opposition voices are aimed at diverting public attention from domestic problems, an Iranian academic said
The United States is plagued by internal problems and has long since lost its position as a global superpower, Tehran University professor Seyed Mohammed Marandi told RT on Friday. Washington refuses to accept that fact and uses sanctions to create the illusion that it is still in control, he added.
Speaking after Washington announced a series of new restrictions targeting the Russian media, Marandi said the measures are another sign that the United States “regime” is “neither free nor democratic.”
The US State Department on Friday accused RT of funding a covert disinformation network aimed at influencing public opinion, interfering in US elections and generally “interfering in sovereign affairs” from countries around the world.
Just days earlier, US intelligence agencies made similar accusations against China and Iran, claiming that both have been trying to influence the outcome of the upcoming US presidential election. According to Marandi, it is “ironic” that the United States is accusing others of the tactics it itself has long employed.
“It is very clear that the United States has a long history of coups, of interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, of manipulating elections… It is all ridiculous. The irony is obvious to everyone… the irony of what the United States is saying with respect to Iran or how it is behaving with respect to Iran or Russia.” the analyst argued.
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According to Marandi, the United States is sanctioning other countries and their media outlets to cover up its own errors of judgment and failed domestic and foreign policies.
“Things in America are not going well, people are dissatisfied, the country is deeply divided… And America is waging wars and fighting all over the place… They just can’t go on like this anymore. So instead of accepting the reality that their policies are wrong, they try to blame others for their problems.”
The United States apparently has a very weak and vulnerable regime if the Iranians and the Russians can easily manipulate events in the United States… The United States really should step back and accept that it is no longer a superpower.
Marandi said that by sanctioning RT, the United States has just demonstrated once again that it lacks… “self-confidence” play fair and “There is no argument to refute… what the Russians, the Iranians or the Palestinians have to say.”
“The empire lacks self-confidence, and that lack of self-confidence is because the people at the top are recognizing that the Titanic is sinking.” Marandi added, warning that unless authorities in Washington “Implement more sensible policies” As far as other nations are concerned, the situation is “it's going to get worse.”
Watch the full interview here:
