Iran playing smart strategy, Trump living in fantasy land, says KP Fabian

Former diplomat K.P. Fabian said Iran is handling the West Asia conflict strategically and allowing selective ship movement through the Strait of Hormuz. He criticised US President Donald Trump’s statements, calling them unrealistic and inconsistent amid rising regional tensions

New Delhi: Weighing in on the ongoing West Asia conflict, India’s former Ambassador to Qatar K.P. Fabian on Saturday remarked that the Iranians “are playing a smart chess game” and termed US President Donald Trump’s statements as showing that he is “living in a fantasy land”.

Speaking to IANS, the former diplomat stated that contrary to what President Trump says, the Strait of Hormuz is not blocked, “meaning it’s not blocked hundred percent”.

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“What Iran is saying is that ships linked to friendly countries can go (but not the) ships which are linked to the United States, Israel, and their allies.”

Emphasising on the words “and their allies”, he said: “These words are not spelled out. But I suppose we understand. What they mean is the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council). Because it is from the bases which the United States has in the GCC that they are attacking Iran.”

For Fabian, a French-owned ship that passed through the Strait of Hormuz is “very interesting because French President Emmanuel Macron did tell President Trump in public that the solution is diplomatic, not military”.

“Iranians are playing a smart chess game,” he opined.

Moreover, the former Ambassador mentioned that Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines crossing the Strait of Hormuz is not very significant for the global energy supply chain, because he said that there are about 200 ships waiting there. “So Iran is letting some ships pass through, belonging to ‘friendly countries’. It was a gesture towards Japan,” he said.

Recently, when Japanese Prime Minister ​Sanae Takaichi met President Trump in the White House, the latter had reminded her about the Pearl Harbour incident and then asked the former to “step up”.

According to Fabian, President Trump wanted the Japanese Navy to be sent to take orders from the Americans

“Trump’s idea of asking the NATO countries to help America doesn’t make much sense. That means Germany, Italy, Britain will be sending their navies to take orders from the American Admiral because you cannot have ten navies without a common command(er).”

“Trump has not expounded this in public, but that is the real meaning,” he asserted.

On President Trump, in a social media post, saying: “With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A ‘GUSHER’ FOR THE WORLD???”, Fabian observed Trump has said that he is going to take over the Strait of Hormuz and then take petrol and make a fortune. “It does not work (like that). He (Trump) is living in a fantasy land.”

“There is much incoherence in what President Trump says. There is always a difference between what he says today and what he says tomorrow.”

He underlined that tension between Iran on one hand, and Israel and America on the other, is not getting reduced. “In no way,” he maintained.