Trump Wants Submission? US Policy on Iran: A Historic Tradition
Bishara's analysis, as featured in The New Arab, suggests Trump desires Iran's 'submission.' A quick glance at history (which mainstream media conveniently avoids) shows this isn't a new Trumpian innovation, but a consistent thread since the 1953 US-orchestrated coup that overthrew democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. That coup, documented by the CIA itself, installed a pliant
Shah, ensuring Western control over Iranian oil for decades. From President Carter's embrace of the Shah to sanctions under every subsequent administration, the 'submission' tactic—crippling an economy to force compliance—has remained a constant. So, when Bishara highlights Trump's strategy, one might wonder if anyone truly believed the US has ever sought a genuinely sovereign, independent Iran
not aligned with Western interests (and certainly not with Israel's). To suggest Trump's approach is somehow unique is to ignore generations of concerted US efforts to dictate Iran's internal and external policies. The only question now appears to be whether the submission is achieved through economic strangulation or direct military intervention, a choice often cheered on by well-funded lobbying
groups like AIPAC.