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Donald Trump is ready to ‘unleash the wrath of God’ against Iran but Tehran isn’t scared of Kamala Harris, says expert
Tensions between Washington and Tehran are as high as they've ever been
DONALD Trump would "unleash the wrath of God" on Iran if reelected, but Tehran doesn't fear Kamala Harris, a senior expert on the regime has claimed.
Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran, told The U.S. Sun that a Trump victory in the election on November 5 would pose a "very significant challenge" to the Islamic Republic.
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Next week's election comes at a critical time in US-Iranian relations, with tensions between Washington and Tehran as high as they've ever been.
On November 4, Iran will mark the 45th anniversary of the 1979 US Embassy hostage crisis, when armed Iranian college students who supported that year's Islamist revolution stormed the American embassy in Tehran, taking 53 US diplomats hostage for 444 days.
That anniversary - seen as a pivotal moment in US-Iranian relations - comes as the ongoing conflict in Israel has ratcheted up tensions between the two countries.
As the world's eyes turn to the US election, Brodsky said that Tehran would likely prefer a Harris victory.
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"If you have Vice President Harris in office, I think you will see a resumption of diplomacy with the Islamic Republic," he said.
A Harris victory would be "more continuity than change," he added.
On the other hand, a Trump victory would not be celebrated in Tehran, Brodsky said.
"The Islamic Republic fears Donald Trump," he said. That’s why it has been trying to kill him."
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Last month, Trump revealed he had been briefed on Iranian assassination plots.
"A Trump victory will be a very significant challenge to the Islamic Republic," Brodsky said.
Israel's next strike will PARALYSE Iran - and wipe out Tehran's nuclear threat, expert claims
Brodsky added that a Trump administration would be more likely to return to a "maximum pressure campaign" against Tehran.
"Iran fears President Trump because it knows that he's unpredictable," he said.
Despite his unpredictability, Trump is more of a known quantity to Tehran following his first term.
In 2018, Trump unilaterally pulled America out of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers.
He also approved 2020's drone strike assassination of Iran's top general, Qassem Soleimani, in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Brodsky said that Trump, unlike Harris, "understands the power of leverage, and I think he understands how to speak to adversaries in a language that they understand which is force."
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Iran is currently embroiled in conflict in the Middle East as its allies in the Palestinian Hamas organization, and Hezbollah in Lebanon, face sustained pressure from Israel.
Last Saturday, Iran suffered Israeli strikes in response to two Iranian ballistic missile attacks.
At the same time, the Iranian currency, the rial, is close to record lows against the dollar as the country's economy continues to struggle in the face of international sanctions in response to Tehran's nuclear weapons program.
"The Islamic Republic is right now in the weakest situation it has ever been," Brodsky said.
"Hezbollah has been weakened. Now it’s time to try and weaken the head of the snake – the Islamic republic."
Now, Brodsky says Tehran is watching America closely to see who it will pick next week.
"If a Democrat comes in promising engagement, they’ll try to exploit that engagement," he said.
He pointed to 45 years of "failed diplomacy" with Iran under both Republicans and Democrats.
"Unless we have regime change in Iran, it's fanciful that we’re going to be able to come to sort kind of diplomatic outcome," he added. "As long as it remains the Islamic Republic."
Iran fears President Trump because it knows that he's unpredictable
Jason Brodsky
Allan Lichtman's 2024 presidential election prediction
Renowned historian Allan Lichtman has accurately predicted the outcomes of presidential elections since 1984 using his 13 Keys to the White House algorithm. In 2016, he was one of the few scholars who correctly predicted a Trump win. This year, has revealed who he thinks will be inaugurated as the 47th president in January next year based on his system of true and false statements.
If six or more statements go against the White House party, they are projected to lose the presidential election.
Midterm elections: The Democrats suffered losses in the 2022 House elections, meaning the key turns false. (Harris 0-1 Trump)
There is no primary contest: This key turns in favor of Harris because the Democrats got "smart" and rallied behind the vice president after Joe Biden ended his campaign, according to Lichtman. (Harris 1-1 Trump)
The sitting president is seeking another term: This turns false because Biden suspended his re-election campaign. (Harris 1-2 Trump)
There is no third-party challenger: This statement is true because third-party candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. needed to poll at 10% nationally, according to Lichtman. (Harris 2-2 Trump)
The short-term economy is strong: This key goes in favor of the White House Party. (Harris 3-2 Trump)
The long-term economic growth has been as good as the last two terms: This key also swings toward Harris. (Harris 4-2 Trump)
The White House Party has made major national policy changes: This key is also true, according to Lichtman's theory. (Harris 5-2 Trump)
There is sustained social unrest during the term: College campus demonstrations have erupted in reaction to the Gaza conflict, but no protests have broken out that threaten the fabric of society. This means the key goes in Harris' column. (Harris 6-2 Trump)
The White House is untainted by scandal: Despite House Republican efforts to impeach Joe Biden, they have been unable to pin a scandal on him. (Harris 7-2 Trump)
The incumbent is charismatic: Harris is not considered a Ronald Reagan or Franklin D. Roosevelt-like figure so the key is false. (Harris 7-3 Trump)
The challenger is uncharismatic: This key goes in favor of the White House party - even though Trump is a showman. (Harris 8-3 Trump)
Lichtman warned that the two foreign policy keys - whether there has been a major success or no failure - could flip either way.
But, even if both statements flipped against Harris, Trump would not have enough keys in his column to win the election.
The Biden administration held indirect negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program that yielded little success.
However, in September last year, Washington and Tehran reached a prisoner swap deal that saw five Americans detained in Iran walk free.
For her part, Harris vowed in September's presidential debate that she would always "give Israel the ability to defend itself, in particular as it relates to Iran and any threat that Iran and its proxies pose to Israel."
Iran saw the election of a reformist, President Masoud Pezeshkian, this year, following the death of hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May.
Pezeshkian has promised to reach a deal to ease Western sanctions.
But the US has accused Iran of meddling in the presidential election, something Tehran denies.
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Power in Iran still rests with 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He has led the Islamic Republic since 1989 and, after 35 years, has shown no signs of stepping down.
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