Ex-wall Street Journal Editor Gives Damning Verdict On Trump’s Latest Iran Claims: ‘we Have Become Baghdad Bob’

A salient journalist astatine 2 right-leaning outlets has compared President Donald Trump’s Iran warfare messaging to that of Saddam Hussein’s notorious main spokesperson during nan penetration of Iraq, “Baghdad Bob.”

Gerard Baker, a Fox News contributor and nan erstwhile Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief compared Trump to Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, Iraq's curate of accusation during nan 2003 U.S. invasion. He earned nan nicknames "Baghdad Bob" and "Comical Ali" successful nan westbound owed to colorfully delivered and optimistic but wildly inaccurate statements astir nan ongoing war.

Baker, now editor-at-large for nan WSJ and a columnist for British newspaper The Times, made nan comparison aft a back-and-forth betwixt Trump and Iran concerning nan state of negotiations near group connected both sides of nan conflict confused.

In a long, each caps Truth Social post, Trump declared that "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND THE COUNTRY OF IRAN, HAVE HAD, OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS, VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING A COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF OUR HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST."

He continued: “BASED ON THE TENOR AND TONE OF THESE IN DEPTH, DETAILED, AND CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS, WHICH WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, I HAVE INSTRUCTED THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR TO POSTPONE ANY AND ALL MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST IRANIAN POWER PLANTS AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A FIVE DAY PERIOD, SUBJECT TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ONGOING MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!"

However, Iran's state-controlled media disputed Trump's claims, insisting that location "has been nary nonstop aliases indirect contact" betwixt Washington, D.C. and Tehran. It further claimed that Trump "backed down" aft Iran threatened to onslaught "all powerfulness plants successful West Asia."

"The US President’s statements are wrong nan model of efforts to trim power prices and summation clip to instrumentality his subject plans," Iran's overseas ministry said successful a statement. "There are initiatives by location countries to de-escalate tensions, and our consequence to each of them is clear: We are not nan statement that started this war, and each these requests should beryllium referred to Washington."

That's erstwhile Baker stepped in. The seasoned journalist suggested nan messaging coming from Iran mightiness beryllium much reliable than Trump's Truth Social post.

“The unsettling reality is that pinch this president, Americans successful wartime are successful nan unprecedented position of having to fishy that nan enemy’s type of events is much apt to beryllium existent than our own,” he wrote aft Iran denied Trump's claims. “We person go Baghdad Bob.”

Along nan aforesaid lines, Edward Luce, subordinate editor of nan Financial Times, tweeted: “Strange business wherever we await a connection from Iran to cheque whether there's immoderate truth to what US president is saying.”

Another wrinkle was added to nan communicative connected Monday morning, erstwhile U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed in comments to nan U.K. Parliament’s Liaison Select Committee that talks betwixt Trump's representatives successful nan region and Iranian officials did hap and that his authorities had been alert they were happening.

However, Iran's parliament speaker denied connected Monday that immoderate negotiations had occurred.

During nan U.S.-led penetration of Iraq successful March 2003, al-Sahhaf became celebrated astir nan world arsenic he gave world news crews optimistic but far-fetched predictions of imminent Iraqi victory, claiming that invading forces were ‘committing termination nether nan walls of Baghdad” and that “we are destroying them.” However, Saddam’s equipped guidance lasted conscionable 43 days, though unit continued successful nan state for years.

Al-Sahhaf, now 85, went into hiding aft nan U.S. triumph he had truthful often predicted would not happen. He was captured by conjugation forces but was not charged pinch immoderate offenses. He went connected to activity arsenic a commentator for Abu Dhabi TV successful 2004, and by 2008 had taken up residence location successful nan United Arab Emirates, according to The Times.

The Independent has contacted nan White House for comment.