Tom Barack: We don’t want to topple the Iranian regime because we failed to do so in the past
US President special envoy for Syria, Tom Barack said that “the US administration doesn’t adopt a regime change approach with Iran, as the issue of dealing with Iran should be dealt with within the region itself, away from foreign interference”.
Barack explained in an interview with UAE based, The National, that President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio don’t support any path aimed at toppling the regime in Iran, but rather prefer regional solutions led by the countries of the region.
He added that Washington has twice tried regime change in Iran and hasn’t achieved results.
He considered that leaving the issue to regional countries is the most rational option.
“The US administration is open to reaching an agreement with Tehran, but only if the US is serious about ending its support for its proxies and de-escalating tensions,” Barack said.
When asked why the confrontation between Israel and Iran continues, Barack replied, “the story isn’t over yet, we are in the fifth chapter of a novel that is still half unfinished,” indicating that the conflict is still open to many developments.
In the course of the conversation, Barack spoke about the Syrian situation, stressing that Washington sees a real opportunity to make progress towards an agreement between Syria and Israel, starting with security arrangements and then subsequent steps towards normalization.
“President Trump is very interested in achieving this agreement, as is Israel,” he said, noting that the first phase will include an agreement on borders and safe zones.
He pointed out that Damascus understands that part of the political solution lies in an understanding with Israel, and that the Syrian government is fully responsive to the US requests, including with regard to pushing it towards a negotiating track with Tel Aviv.
Barack warned that Israel is still hesitant, and therefore the process is progressing slowly.
