On Monday evening CNN's Brian Stelter tweeted that is patriotic to question and be skeptical of leaders who may stumble into a war. Apparently such sentiment only goes one way at CNN as CNN's Fred Pleitgen was in Tehran for a softball interview on Tuesday with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif that ended up being just another one of the network's many anti-Trump segments.
Pleitgen asked Zarif, "Your government and your leadership and the military here has vowed to take action against the United States. What kind of retaliation is that going to be?" Zarif then rattled off his talking points:
ZARIF: The United States violated three principles. Iraqi sovereignty, and the agreement that they had with Iraq. They got a response from the Iraqi parliament. They violated the emotions from the people. They will get a response from the people. They killed one of our most revered commanders and most senior commanders and they took responsibility for it. This is state terrorism. This is an act of aggression against Iraq. And it amounts to an armed attack against Iran and we will respond. But we will respond proportionately, not disproportionately because we are committed to law. We are law-abiding people. We're not lawless like President Trump.
At that point Pleitgen could've challenged Zarif. Why was Kata'ib Hezbollah trying kill Americans in Iraq, despite the fact that we are there with the permission of the Iraqi government? Why was Soleimani in Iraq? If the desire of the Iraqi people is that the U.S. leave, then why has the Iran-friendly prime minister been forced to resign? Why did the Sunni and Kurdish parties boycott the vote he referenced?
But he didn't: "So, you think you can strike at any point? Because you obviously—It’s no secret you control militias in this region, that you have forces on your side in this region in many countries." He then allowed Zarif to spread his propaganda, "people rule the world. People. The United States has to wake up to the reality that the people of this region are engaged that the people of this region want the United States out, and the United States cannot stay in this region, with the people of the region not wanting it anymore."
Again, Pleitgen did not question him on the anti-Iran protests, including the burning of the consulate in the Shi'ite holy city of Karbala, that have gone on in Iraq in recent months or even the protests in his country where his own government has murdered over a thousand protesters.
Finally, Pleitgen asked if it would be worth speaking to Trump. Sounding like a CNN anchor he concluded, "He's just making it worse for America. He's destroying the U.S. Constitution. He's destroying the U.S. political process. He's destroying the rule of law in the United States, but that's not for me to say. That's a domestic affair of the United States. He has enraged the people of our region. He has killed people of this region."
Here is a transcript for the January 7 show:
CNN
At This Hour with Kate Bolduan
11:21 AM ET
FREDERIK PLEITGEN: Your government and your leadership and the military here has vowed to take action against the United States. What kind of retaliation is that going to be?
JAVAD ZARIF: The United States violated three principles. Iraqi sovereignty, and the agreement that they had with Iraq. They got a response from the Iraqi parliament. They violated the emotions from the people. They will get a response from the people. They killed one of our most revered commanders and most senior commanders and they took responsibility for it. This is state terrorism. This is an act of aggression against Iraq. And it amounts to an armed attack against Iran and we will respond. But we will respond proportionately, not disproportionately because we are committed to law. We are law abiding people, we're not lawless like President Trump.
PLEITGEN: So, you think you can strike at any point? Because you obviously—It’s no secret you control militias in this region, that you have forces on your side in this region in many countries.
ZARIF: We have people on our side in this region. That's much more important. The United States believes that this beautiful military equipment, according to President Trump, that you spent $2 trillion on these beautiful military equipment, beautiful military equipment don't rule the world, people rule the world. People. The United States has to wake up to the reality that the people of this region are engaged that the people of this region want the United States out, and the United States cannot stay in this region, with the people of the region not wanting it anymore.
PLEITGEN: Would it be worth speaking to him?
ZARIF: Doesn't need speaking. He has to realize he has been fed misinformation. And he needs to wake up and apologize. He has to apologize. He has to change course. He cannot add a mistake upon another mistake. He's just making it worse for America. He's destroying the U.S. Constitution. He's destroying the U.S. political process. He's destroying the rule of law in the United States, but that's not for me to say. That's a domestic affair of the United States. He has enraged the people of our region. He has killed people of this region.
