On Monday, ABC’s Good Morning America aired an exclusive interview with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and provided the authoritarian regime’s propagandist with a platform to accuse the United States of conducting “economic terrorism” against his country in the form of financial sanctions.
“Our chief global affairs anchor Martha Raddatz has traveled to Iran for an exclusive interview with the Foreign Minister, who had tough words for President Trump,” co-host George Stephanopoulos announced at the top of the segment. Reporting from Tehran, Raddatz declared: “Tough talk is right. The Foreign Minister saying Donald Trump’s maximum pressure efforts are creating economic terrorism.”
The report began with Raddatz painting Iran as the victim of U.S. actions: “From the skyrocketing price of food at Tehran’s markets, to the hospitals where medicine, while not targeted, still becoming scarce….Iran’s foreign minister telling me this must stop.” A soundbite followed of Zarif ranting: “If the United States decides to cause so much pain on the Iranian people by imposing economic warfare, by engaging in economic terrorism against Iran, then there will be consequences.”
Raddatz only briefly noted Iran’s bad actions in the Middle East, in the context of Zarif denying them: “Zarif denies accusations it sabotaged four oil tankers near the Persian Gulf or is threatening U.S. forces.” – read more