SATISH SHARMA - not just Rotigraphy.: The stoush between journalist, Sarah Ferguson, and @s_m_marandi on ABC's 730 on Thursday evening has attracted international as well as local interest,

https://x.com/KellieTranter/status/2075485161727435095

KellieTranter

The stoush between journalist, Sarah Ferguson, and @s_m_marandi
 on ABC's 730 on Thursday evening has attracted international as well as local interest, primarily because of Professor Marandi's refusal to accept loaded expressions and assumptive questions without challenge, his clear statements of factual and historical backgrounds and his direct calling out of Ferguson's journalism.

It's interesting watching the interview but the personal stoush shouldn't be permitted to overshadow the very real significance of some of Professor Marandi's comments.

Although he does not speak officially for the Iranian government he mentioned the illegality of the US/Israeli war on Iran and inferentially of the US holding of Iran's stolen assets; the US violations of the MOU on the one hand and the legality of Iran's actions in accordance with it on the other, and on more than one occasion emphasised Australia's support for the illegal war on Iran and the genocide in Palestine.

There can be no doubt that Iran, the rest of the Muslim world and probably the whole world, observed with raised eyebrows PM Albanese's plunge over the cliff as the first leader of any country to publicly support the illegal US/Israeli invasion of Iran, our supply of a spyplane and missiles to the UAE and our ongoing diplomatic and economic relations with Israel, as well as supplying it with at least parts of military equipment or materiel – in contravention of our legal obligations under international law - throughout its genocide in Gaza and possibly the West Bank and Lebanon.

Now couple that with Pat Conroy’s recent announcement to the world at the NATO summit, that Australia should relinquish its position of relatively secure geographical isolation to join unmeritorious overseas wars in which it has no direct interest and you can see Australia's continuing fall from grace as an international actor of integrity and credibility.

When the current conflict subsides Iran is likely to retain control of the Strait of Hormuz and a chokehold on the world's supply of oil and petrochemical products, including to the refineries in Southeast Asia that provide Australia with fuel. How Iran might exercise its power to control these resources might be open to question but one can clearly infer from Professor Marandi's comments that Iran will not be doing Australia any favours.

Whether we like it or not, we reap what our political classes sow. Little wonder that Linda Reynolds said in her evidence before the AUKUS Public Inquiry that parliament can never be permitted to decide whether the country should go to war because the parliament would never say yes.

#auspol