New York, June 18, IRNA – US military bases around the world are provocative and should be collected, a former commander of US Navy, Leah Bolger, said in an interview with IRNA.

"The US soldiers shouldn’t be in the Middle East… They don’t have any business being over there. They should be returned home," Bolger said.

She added that war is harmful to everyone; it destroys infrastructures and will have ramifications for decades.

"President Trump campaign on the idea of not wanting another war; however, he has said many things before he was elected that he has done the opposite.

"[President Trump] is a known liar."

She added that there are US military forces in over 160 countries of the world that must "be terminated," because they are "provocative and confrontational."

Asked about the attacks that happened in the Gulf of Oman, during which two oil tankers were hit, Bolger said, "It was very curious that they were happening in the exact time of Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's meeting with the Islamic Revolution Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran.

Commenting on US' lying about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and attacking them, Bolger added that the American public are asking more questions and the media are perhaps that too. However, they reflected what Pompeo claimed about the attacks.

Regarding Pempeo's accusing Iran to have attacked the oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, she said that it is "irresponsible" of him "to accuse Iran of criminal actions without any proof," and that the US was "the only country" to accuse Iran of the sabotage of the tankers.

She added that other countries, like Japan and Germany, are "openly questioning" the US' "irresponsible, reckless and ill-advised" remarks.

She said that the video released by the Pentagon as the proof for Iranian attack on the vessels are "very grainy and no high quality", so it looks "impossible to determine from that video who exactly is in it and what exactly they are doing."

"The captain of the Japanese ship has claimed that they were not the victims of a mine, but rather, it was some sort of a flying object that hit his ship."

"I would give much more credit to the report of the captain of the ship than secretary Pompeo's accusations."

About the reason of the low quality of the video, she said that the video doesn’t match the capability of the intelligence and the US claim that it has "superb intelligence", which is "very suspicious."

She added that for some unknown reason US National security Adviser John Bolton and Secretary Pompeo are trying to "provoke Iran" to create a confrontation in order "to initiate a war with Iran by this false flag operation," which can be compared to the actions the US made in the Gulf of Tonkin that drove the US into a war with Vietnam.    

She guessed that it might have something to do with Saudi Arabia, who claim Iran is their enemy and the US that is trying to ignite a military confrontation.

"I think it was intentional …. It was not just a coincidence."

Bolger added that even if there were a 100% proof that this happened, it would require a criminal investigation; it would not be a matter to be decided by the military.

She said It has been the United States that has been provoking Iran by dropping out of the internationally negotiated nuclear treaty, (JCPOA), which Trump put aside as soon as he became president. It is the US that has an aircraft carrier in the waters near Iran and keeps escalating tension.

"I hope that many other governments will stand up and say that it is irresponsible and reckless for the US to accuse Iran of committing this crime."

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