Trump is ‘acting as an emissary for Israel’: Scholar

US President Donald Trump is “acting as an emissary for Israel,” which is dictating the American policy on the Islamic Republic of Iran, an American writer and retired professor says.

James Petras, who has written dozens of books on international issues, made the comments in an interview with Press TV on Wednesday while commenting on a statement of former American diplomat and presidential aide Dennis Ross.

Ross believes that if President Trump pulls out of the nuclear deal with Iran, Tehran will be the ultimate winner.

Trump has until May 12 to announce his policy towards the agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was reached between Iran and the US, the UK, France, Russia, China and Germany on July 14, 2015.

“If he withdraws, he withdraws alone. The Europeans will not join him,” Ross, a distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute, wrote in an opinion published by The Washington Post on Monday.

Petras said that “Trump is acting as an emissary for Israel. His policy towards Iran is dictated by Netanyahu, who is very much in favor of the US going to war with Iran and is using as a pretext the ending of the nuclear agreement.”

“Now it’s clear that the European governments are not in favor of breaking relations with Iran and going to war since they are aware of the devastating consequences of  the invasion of Iraq, its conflict in Syria, and the chaos in Libya,” he added.

‘Europeans using Trump as a scarecrow’

“On the other hand I think it’s foolish to assume that Europe is some kind of progressive country, because I think the difference between Europe and Trump is a question of tactics. The Europeans want to use Trump as a bogeyman for realizing the nuclear agreement, asking Iran to lower its missiles defense system, and not to support their allies in the Middle East, particularly with Syria, with Yemen, the influence they have in Lebanon with Hezbollah,” the analyst noted.

“I don’t think the Iranians are so foolish to accept the revision on the terms that the Europeans are thinking.  I am doubtful that the Europeans will be able to force Iran using Trump as a scarecrow,” he said.

“So I think this is a very, very delicate situation. On the one hand Iran  would to divide Europe from Trump and Israelis, and on the other hand making concessions on strategic defenses is not likely to be accepted to the majority of the Iranian defense establishment and its guardians in the military,” the academic observed.