Scott interviews Gareth Porter about the competing attitudes toward Iran in American foreign policy. During his presidency, Trump was sometimes the voice of restraint against those who favored a more aggressive stance toward Iran and in some cases even advocated outright war. In particular, says Porter, CENTCOM chief General Kenneth McKenzie was constantly moving to keep troops on the ground in Iraq and American ships in surrounding waters, all to demonstrate U.S. power and increase tensions with Iran. Trump was able to curb some of this, but was ultimately ineffective when it came to defying the intelligence state and the military. It remains to be seen whether President Biden will be able to do so.

Discussed on the show:

• “How CENTCOM Chief McKenzie Manufactured an Iran Crisis to Increase His Power” (Antiwar.com Original)
• The Plot Against the President: The True Story of How Congressman Devin Nunes Uncovered the Biggest Political Scandal in U.S. History
  

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state. He is the author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare and, with John Kiriakou, The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis. Follow him on Twitter @GarethPorter and listen to Gareth’s previous appearances on the Scott Horton Show.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

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