“He’s Pain that a Black Man Became President Before Him” – Keshi on Trump’s Iran Policy

Former Nigerian diplomat Ambassador Joe Keshi has linked President Donald Trump’s aggressive stance toward Iran to both geopolitical and personal motives. Speaking on Arise News, Keshi suggested that Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was influenced by his desire to undermine the legacy of President Barack Obama.

“The world is in such a state we are now because of the irresponsibility of the world powers, who think that because they are powerful, they have the right to do whatever they want within the international system,” Keshi said. He cited Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the United States and Israel’s recent military operations in the Middle East as examples of this trend.

Keshi emphasized that the nuclear agreement negotiated under Obama had been working effectively, with the International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring Iran’s compliance. He claimed that Trump’s cancellation of the deal was driven by two factors: pressure from Israel, particularly Prime Minister Netanyahu, and personal resentment that a Black man had become president before him.

“The same Donald Trump, when he bombed Iranian targets last year, told us that he had obliterated Iran’s nuclear development. So exactly what are they doing now? They are killing the leaders of Iran in an attempt to enforce regime change again,” Keshi said. He warned that attempts at regime change often produce instability, citing Afghanistan, Libya, and Iraq as examples.

Keshi also criticized the human cost of ongoing military actions, noting that Iran was not an immediate threat to the United States. “By the end of it, they would have killed so many people as has happened in the past. They would have destroyed Iran, which was not a threat,” he said.

The escalation comes after Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was reportedly killed on Saturday in coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel. Iranian media confirmed that members of his family, including his daughter, grandchild, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law, also died in the attacks.

The Israel Defense Forces reported that senior Iranian officials, including Ali Shamkhani and Revolutionary Guards commander General Mohammad Pakpour, were among seven high-ranking members of Iran’s defence leadership eliminated in what the IDF described as one of the largest operations against Iranian targets in decades.

Keshi’s comments highlight both the personal and political dimensions that, in his view, have shaped U.S. policy toward Iran, raising concerns about ongoing instability in the Middle East.