The imperious U.S. has never forgiven the Iranian nation and people for standing up to it. The 1953 CIA initiated coup that installed the hated Pahlavi regime was a dagger that pierced the heart of the Iranian people. Ever since the great Iranian Revolution of 1979, the U.S. has tried by hook or by crook to restore the monarchy and return Iran to U.S.-Zionist subjugation. The resistance of Iran to U.S. hegemony in West Asia has been a thorn in its side ever since.

“The U.S. has used wars, sanctions, terrorism, and support for the Zionist Israelis and Salafist Saudis to try and reimpose its rule in the region, but all to no avail. In a fit of pique for its failures, the U.S. under Trump lashed out by assassinating a great hero of the Iranian nation, Lt. General Qassem Soleimani. This insidious act has only compounded the crimes for which the U.S. must be held accountable.”The U.S. has used wars, sanctions, terrorism, and support for the Zionist Israelis and Salafist Saudis to try and reimpose its rule in the region, but all to no avail. In a fit of pique for its failures, the U.S. under Trump lashed out by assassinating a great hero of the Iranian nation, Lt. General Qassem Soleimani. This insidious act has only compounded the crimes for which the U.S. must be held accountable.

The U.S. and its allies think they are above reproach and beyond the norms of civilized behavior. They feel that they can bomb, maim, and kill whoever they please without restraint. Those who resist are considered enemies that must be eliminated at whatever cost and by any means necessary. This is the mentality of the genocidal nation that declared the "only good Indian is a dead Indian" as its settlers exterminated the original inhabitants of the land they stole and plundered. The same dictum has been applied to the rest of the world as the tentacles of U.S. imperialism spread across the globe.

The U.S. together with its underlings and surrogates are untrustworthy. Their word cannot be taken at face value. They will stab you in the back at the first opportunity, hence eternal vigilance must be taken when dealing with them.

But time has shown that the colonialists and imperialists are paper tigers. They appear fierce and can inflict injury, but they are cowards who cannot stand up against the ire of a united people. The Iranian nation has withstood 40 years of American hostility and refused to bend its knee to Washington's dictates. It has sacrificed its finest sons in defense of its independence and sovereignty, and come to the aid of those fighting for their liberation from hegemonists who think nothing of slaughtering the people for their own selfish gain.

Lt. General Soleimani led the Iranian nation in its struggle against U.S. Imperialism and Zionism. His spirit will forever dwell in the hearts of its people.

*Dennis Etler is an American political analyst who has a decades-long interest in international affairs. He’s a former professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California. He has a PhD in anthropology from the University of California in Berkeley.