
Time magazine drew criticism earlier this week when it published a guide for parents on “how to talk to your kids about the situation with Iran.”
The guide contains seven questions and seven sets of answers. And in almost all cases, the answers seem to read like Iranian-written propaganda, the critics have alleged.
If you need help talking with the children in your life about the aftermath of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani’s killing, @timeforkids has a guide to explaining the topic https://t.co/wCOV3m5a2B
— TIME (@TIME) January 7, 2020
Take the question “Who was Qasem Soleimani?” Time recommends parents reply by saying, “Qasem Soleimani was a top military leader in Iran, a country in the Middle East.”
While the answer is factually accurate, it contains nothing about the deceased Iranian general’s history of terrorism. Even Wikipedia, of all sources, lists Soleimani as a man “long designated a terrorist” and notes he’s been “personally sanctioned by the United Nations and the European Union.”
Plus, talking about Soleimani’s role in the Iranian government wasn’t even necessary, some critics have maintained, as there are far simpler explanations for who he was and what happened to him.
Case in point:
A bad man who killed tens of thousands of people including hundreds of Americans was blown up. https://t.co/mXukdA4d6B
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) January 7, 2020
“We put him down for a dirt nap.” https://t.co/trMh2SJ4GB
— Siraj Hashmi (@SirajAHashmi) January 7, 2020
“we sent him upstate to a nice farm.” https://t.co/PeR8jyVcLj
— ?’? ? ??????? ???? (@BecketAdams) January 7, 2020
“The guy who threatened another Holocaust of our people, and who had the means to try to carry it out, is gone. I hope that’s ok with you kids.” pic.twitter.com/0Wg2W2DLiU
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) January 7, 2020
My 9 year old saw something about it on the news when we were flipping around. He asked what happened. I simply told him that our soldiers killed a very evil man who had murdered a lot of innocent people, because we didn’t want him to hurt anyone else. That’s it. Pretty simple.
— Amanda Beres (@ARC91681) January 7, 2020
I told my kids that the President of the fkn US OF A just took out a horrible killer so we could be safer. They said awesome mom Trump 2020! I dont need a guide. My kids love their country and support all those who do too.
— TheDutchess (@dutchessvonk) January 8, 2020
Now take the question “Why did the U.S. take action against Soleimani?” The three-paragraph answer that follows begins with this statement: “President Donald Trump has called Soleimani a terrorist.”
Again, while the answer is factually accurate, it seems to portray Soleimani’s designation as a terrorist as just a mere opinion held by the president.
While the Trump administration is responsible for formally designating the deceased general and the organization for which he worked, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as terrorist entities, Soleimani’s links to terrorism have been known for decades.
In a press release published in 2007, the U.S. Department of Treasury attempted to “counter Iran’s bid for nuclear capabilities and support for terrorism by exposing Iranian banks, companies and individuals that have been involved in these dangerous activities and by cutting them off from the U.S. financial system.”
Listed in the presser was Soleimani.
2007 designation of IRGC-QF & Soleimani https://t.co/lolVByTFoc https://t.co/8xO5UWzI9O
— Boris Zilberman (@rolltidebmz) January 3, 2020
Time’s answer continues with the following: “Trump says Soleimani ordered attacks on American military and diplomats and was planning attacks against Americans in the Middle East. For this reason, Trump ordered the U.S. military to kill Soleimani. The drone attack took place at an airport in Baghdad, in Iraq. An Iraqi leader was also killed.”
Again, while it’s true the president had said “Soleimani ordered attacks on American military and diplomats and was planning attacks against Americans in the Middle East,” the magazine again makes it sound as if it was just the president’s opinion.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the same:
I spoke today with Chinese Politburo Member Yang Jiechi to discuss @realDonaldTrump‘s decision to eliminate Soleimani in response to imminent threats to American lives. I reiterated our commitment to de-escalation.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 3, 2020
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: “We want the world to understand that there was, in fact, an imminent attack taking place.” pic.twitter.com/ztC7N6Pswh
— The Hill (@thehill) January 3, 2020
So did the Department of Defense.
“General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region,” the department said in a statement late last week:
Lots of people on TV say Trump didn’t have authority to kill Soleimani. This statement from DoD explains why their argument is bunk. Soleimani was planning to kill more Americans. The president has the authority to protect the troops from danger. | https://t.co/ZDgiSjPg1T
— Mike (@Doranimated) January 3, 2020
Now take the question “Why don’t the U.S. and Iran get along?” The two-paragraph answer doesn’t mention Iran’s refusal to accept Israel as a sovereign state but does talk briefly about the Iran hostage crisis and more wordily about the Iran nuclear deal.
“In 1979, Iran took 52 American diplomats and citizens hostage,” it reads. “They were released after 444 days. In 2018, tensions increased again after President Trump said the U.S. would no longer participate in a 2015 deal with Iran.”
“This international agreement set strict limits for 15 years on Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons. In return, the U.S. and countries in the European Union agreed to end trade restrictions. When Trump pulled out of the agreement, the U.S. put trade restrictions back in place. This has hurt Iran’s economy.”
So to hear Time magazine tell it, the United States and Iran were practically best buds from 1979 up until the moment the president withdrew America from former President Barack Hussein Obama’s nuclear agreement with the rogue nation.
Fact-check: FALSE.
“With the possible exception of North Korea, no country in the post–Cold War era has sought to challenge the United States as much as Iran,” The National Interest notes. “From the Middle East to Central Asia to Latin America, Tehran has never missed an opportunity to antagonize the U.S. and limit its influence.”
And this antagonization has often involved it using proxies such as Hezbollah to commit terror attacks that have killed scores of people.
Of course, nothing about the proxies was mentioned in Time’s report …
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