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American analyst Michael Rubin on Monday (local time) said that depending on Pakistan to resolve the "Iran problem" would be like relying on "fascist Italy" to solve the Nazi problem during World War II.
He criticised Pakistan's role in the ongoing diplomatic engagement between the United States (US) and Iran, arguing that Islamabad has repeatedly undermined Washington's interests and cannot be regarded as a trustworthy mediator. "Donald Trump has been blinded not only by Iran's ability to negotiate, but also by his choice of mediators, Qatar and especially Pakistan. Relying on Pakistani mediation to solve the Iran problem would be the equivalent of Franklin Roosevelt relying on fascist Italy in World War II to solve the Nazi Germany problem. The fact of the matter is, you never want to choose a mediator who wants to have your side lose. And yet Pakistan must be laughing that the United States keeps making the same mistake three times," Rubin told ANI. Rubin, who is the Director of Policy Analysis, Middle East Forum, pointed to Pakistan's past conduct, including its support for the Taliban and the presence of Osama bin Laden on its soil, as examples of what he described as repeated betrayals of US trust. "Pakistan has repeatedly shown itself as unworthy of any sort of trust, and yet Donald Trump continues to turn back toward it. Pakistan betrayed the United States with regard to the Taliban. Pakistan betrayed the United States by hosting Osama bin Laden. Pakistan is betraying the United States again now. The notion that Pakistan could actually profit from this after AQ Khan- Pakistan's nuclear scientist, who helped seed Iran's nuclear program in the first place, is just the utmost irony but one which both Iranians and Pakistanis must find hilarious as they high-five each other in their diplomatic boardrooms," Rubin said. Rubin highlighted how Pakistan would continue to seek to prolong tensions rather than facilitate a lasting settlement. "Make no mistake, Pakistan may be a mediator, but they're going to ensure behind the scenes that there never is a final agreement and that there will always be chaos from which they can function, basically trying to both be the arsonist and the firefighter getting paid by both," he remarked. His remarks come as a peace agreement between the US and Iran is expected to be formally signed in Geneva later this week. (ANI)
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